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pUT  TO  THE  TEST  ;  A  STORfiOF  A  WOMAN'S  FAITH 

*•    BY    CHARLES    CHAMBERLAIX,  +fr.       Tf  :f^uthors  faithfi 

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No.  3.— POWDER,  AND  GOLD.  A  Story  of  the  Franco- 
Prussian  War.  From  the  German  of  LEVIN 

SCIIfCKlNO. 

No.  4.— A  BROWN-STONE  FRONT.  A  Story  of  New 
York  Society.  By  CllANDOS  FULTON. 

HENRY   Jj.   IIINTON,   Publisher, 

No.  744  BROADWAY,  NKW  YORK. 


A  BROWN  STONE  FRONT. 

A   STORY   OP  NEW   YORK   AND   SARATOGA. 

BY 

» 

CHANDOS  FULTON. 


NEW   YORK  ! 
HENRY   L.    HINTON,    PUBLISHER,    744    BROADWAY. 

1873. 


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35/1 


A  BROWN  STONE  FRONT. 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE    SINE    QUA    NON. 

"  WHAT,  you  don't  mean  to  tell  me  that  Ellen 
Bates  has  been  married  to  that  young  man  ?  "  ex 
claimed  Mrs.  Brown. 

"  Yes — they  were  married  two  weeks  ago,  and 
are  now  on  their  wedding  tour.  They've  taken 
the  Canadian  trip,  and  will  stop  here  on  their 
return,"  said  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"Why  he  has  never  been  able  to  support  him 
self,  much  less  a  wife." 

"It  was  a  love-match,  I  suppose,"  remarked 
Mrs.  Campbell  demurely. 

Mrs.  Brown  did  not  deign  a  reply. 

1692620 


10  A   BIIOWX   STONE   FRONT. 

"They  loved  each  other  devotedly,"  resumed 
Mrs.  Campbell.  "  The  attachment  was  formed  in 
childhood — they  were  playmates  in  early  life." 

"  Well,  since  they  waited  so  long,  they  might 
have  waited  a  little  longer,  till  he  was  established 
in  business  and  able  to  take  care  of  a  wife,"  said 
Mrs.  Brown. 

"  Probably  his  luck  will  change  now,  and  he 
will  be  able  to  get  into  some  business,"  rejoined 
Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  That  is  trusting  too  much  to  luck,  which  is 
another  name  for  chance.  With  two  to  support 
instead  of  one,  he  will  find  it  much  harder  to  get 
along." 

"  We  must  hope  for  the  best,"  said  Mrs.  Camp 
bell,  meekly. 

"  I  know  very  little  of  them,"  continued  Mrs. 
Brown;  "but  she  is  a  nice  girl,  and  deserves  a 
better  fate.  She  has  sacrificed  herself  by  this 
marriage. 

"  I  do  not  think  she  would  like  to  hear  you  say 


THE    SINE    QUA    NON.  11 

so,"  interposed  Mrs.  Campbell.  "  She  anticipates 
much  happiness !  " 

"  13ut  the  deprivations  and  inconveniences  of 
poverty  will  soon  dissipate  that." 

" '  Where  there's  a  will  there's  a  way,'  you 
know." 

"  I  regard  a  marriage  of  this  sort  as  downright 
folly.  I  don't  know  what  Mrs.  Bates — foolish 
mother — could  have  been  thinking  of,  to  have  given 
her  consent  to  the  union.  It  is — " 

A  wave  of  the  leader's  baton  brought  a  crash 
of  music,  and  silenced  Mrs.  Brown  until  the  next 
intermission. 

They  were  not  at  a  concert,  but  sitting  on  the 
rear  gallery  of  the  Union .  Hotel,  Saratoga,  after 
breakfast,  enjoying  the  delightful  morning  air,  and 
listening  to  the  music. 

It  was  a  bright,  balmy  morning  towards  the 
close  of  June,  of  a  recent  year ;  and  the  gallery 
was  crowded  with  stylish  loiterers,  sitting,  stanc 
ing,  and  promenading,  before  separating  for  the 
pleasures  of  the  day.  The  band  occupied  its  stand 


\ 

12  A    BROWX    STONE    FRONT. 

and  discoursed  merry  dance  music,  to  which  many 
spasmodically  kept  time  with  their  feet  or  hands, 
while  some  few  adolescent  promenaders  were  so 
carried  away  by  the  sweet  strains  as  to  every  now 
and  then  lackadaisically  break  out  whistling  or 
humming  snatches  of  the  air  in  an  undertone  (but 
loud  enough  to  be  overheard)  to  the  intense  annoy 
ance  of  those  who  were  listening  to  the  perform 
ance.  The  babel  of  voices,  however,  which  arose 
in  conversation  immediately  when  the  band  stopped 
playing,  evidently  showed  that  the  majority  listen 
ed  under  constraint ;  they  Avould  much  rather  have 
talked,  and  would  probably  have  talked  through 
the  performance  but — for  appearance's  sake,  which, 
I  am  glad  to  think,  prevents  many  incivilities  in 
every-day  life.  I  think  this  was  the  case  with 
Mrs.  Brown  and  Mrs.  Campbell,  who  sat  a  little 
apart  from  the  others,  and  made  a  pretence  of 
being  busy  on  some  light  sewing.  They  were  too 
well-bred  to  have  been  guilty  of  the  impropriety 
(in  consideration  of  the  wishes  of  those  who  might 
desire  to  listen  to  the  music)  of  talking  during  the 


THE    SIXE    QUA   NON".  13 

performance;  a  little  point  of  etiquette  which  is 
often  forgotten  by  those  who  patronize  the  Opera 
and  Philharmonic  Concerts,  but  a  point  neverthe 
less, — for  the  rules  of  etiquette  are  not  established 
bv  vulgar  usa^e,  as  those  of  Grammar  are. 

J  O  O      * 

They  would  like  to  have  continued  their  conversa 
tion  and  discussed  the  Bates  affair,  because  they 
were  both  deeply  interested.  "While  they  listen  to 
the  music, — a  jolly  Offenbachian  air — let  us  glance 
at  them.  I  want  you  to  particularly  notice  Mrs. 
Brown. 

Both  were  middle-aged  and  motherly-looking. 
They  were  plainly  though  expensively  attired  in 
charming  morning  dresses,  and  unmistakeably  bore 
the  maintien  of  society  ladies.  But  they  were  as 
different  in  manner  and  temperament  as  in  appear 
ance  and  style.  Mrs.  Brown,  who  was  also  the  elder, 
being  tall,  slender,  and  decisive,  while  Mrs.  Camp 
bell,  gentle  and  yielding,  was  under  the  medium 
height,  and  inclined  to  be  stoutish. 

A  glance  at  the  two,  wo  uld  satisfy  any  reader  of 
character  that  Mrs.   Campbell  was  one  of  those 


14  A    BKOWX    STONE    FRONT. 

passive,  complacent  women,  with  no  ideas  of  their 
own,  and  a  habit  of  concurring  in  everything  with 
those  they  meet,  that  are  so  often  encountered  in 
society,  and  the  inference  would  be  that  Mrs. 
Brown  was  merely  talking  to  her  because  she 
happened  to  be  there  to  be  talked  to.  Mrs. 
Brown,  however,  was  a  woman  of  quite  a  different 
stamp;  she  was  one  of  those  self-reliant,  positive 
women  who  are  bound  to  have  their  way  wherever 
they  are,  taking  the  greatest  liberties  accorded  to 
their  sex,  yet  never  agitating  the  suffrage  ques 
tion.  Independence  of  opinion,  decision  of  char 
acter,  and  energy  of  purpose  were  all  expressed  in 
her  strong,  well-moulded,  albeit  rather  slender 
face,  chiefly  in  the  bold  nose  and  chin — bright, 
honest,  though  rather  calculating  blue-grey  eyes, 
and  a  cleanly-chiseled  mouth,  sensitive  yet  firm, 
and  always  '  bowed '  with  a  complacent  smile 
when  in  repose,  indicating  that,  where  her  own  in 
terests  were  not  concerned,  she  was  inclined  to  be 
kindly,  generous,  arid  sincere,  and  could  be  relied 
upon  as  a  friend. 

Meanwhile  the  music  has  ceased. 


TIIK    SINE    QUA    XOX.  15 

"  Mrs.  Bates  thinks  it  a  very  good  match,"  be 
gan  Mrs.  Campbell.  "  He  is  a  moral,  worthy, 
well-educated  young  gentleman  while  Ellen  is  a 
lovely  and  accomplished  girl." 

"That  she  is.  But  in  the  house  he  will  take  her 
to,  in  the  way  in  which  he  will  provide  for  her, 
what  chance  will  she  have  to  display  her  accom 
plishments  ? "  interposed  Mrs.  Brown,  with  vehe 
mence.  "  She  has  thrown  herself  away  on  him  !  " 

"  Oh,  they  will  get  along ;  he  will  make  out 
somehow  as  thousands  of  others  have  done." 

"  That  is  trusting  entirely  too  much  to  chance 
or  luck,"  began  Mrs.  Brown.  "  My  daughter  shall 
never  marry  with  my  consent  till  a  husband  oifers 
who  will  be  able  to  give  her  a  brown  stone  front, 
and  carnage  and  horses."  This  was  a  favorite 
declaration  of  Mrs.  Brown's,  and  she  made  it  with 
much  dignity  and  emphasis  now,  as  indeed  she 
did  on  almost  every  occasion. 

"I  am  spared  this  trouble,"  meekly  observed 
Mrs.  Campbell,  "in  having  been  blessed  with  sons. 
I  will  admit  in  early  life  I  wished  for  a  daughter 


16  A    BROWX   STOXE    FRONT. 

but  now,  when  I  think  of  this  marriage  question, 
I  am  glad  I  was  favored  with  sons.  They  can 
look  out  for  themselves,"  added  the  good  lady 
with  much  complacency. 

"  If  they  are  allowed  to,"  quickly,  almost  fiercely 
responded  Mrs.  Brown,  "  so  can  daughters.  But 
neither  should  be  allowed  to  'look  out  for  them 
selves,'  as  you  tenn  the  most  serious  question  in 
life.  Sons  can  be  married  to  rich  wives,  as  well  as 
daughters  to  rich  husbands,  with  the  proper 
maternal  care." 

Mrs.  Campbell  did  not  not  venture  a  reply,  but 
assumed  a  thoughtful  air,  and  wondered  if  it  was 
becoming  to  her. 

Mrs.  Brown  continued. 

"  Without  wealth,"  she  said,  "  yoti  can  do  noth 
ing;  you  are  nobody.  Poverty  is  in  my  eyes  a 
curse,  and  in  marriage  either  the  wife  or  the  hus 
band,  one  or  the  other,  should  have  money." 

She  spoke  with  much  bitterness,  and  any  one 
familiar  with  her  early  life,  single  as  well  as  mar 
ried,  would  have  been  charitable  in  their  judg- 


THE   SINE    QUA   NON.  17 

merit  of  her;  for  she  had  had  a  terrible  struggle 
with  poverty,  the  memory  of  which  still  haunted 
her  even  in  these  days  of  comparative  affluence; 
and  it  was  hut  natural  that  she  should  wish  to 
save  her  beloved  and  only  daughter  from  such  an 
experience  as  her  own,  by  marrying  her  to  a 
wealthy  man.  She  came  from  a  good  family,  but 
a  poor  one.  Her  mother  had  married  for  love,  and 
her  father,  although  an  accomplished,  elegant  gen 
tleman,  was  never  able  to  make  more  than  a  com 
fortable  living  for  his  family.  He  had  no  business 
tact,  and  early  abandoned  his  profession, — that  of 
the  law,  in  which  he  might  have  succeeded  if  he 
had  persevered, — and  engaged  Micawbcr-like,  in 
various  enterprises.  At  his  death  he  left  his 
widow  with  three  children  utterly  destitute.  Mrs. 
Brown  was  then  in  her  sixteenth  year ;  she  was 
the  eldest.  She  and  her  mother  were  provided  for 
by  an  uncle  (her  mother's  brother).  The  other 
two  children,  boys,  were  put  to  business,  and  had 
since  gone  to  California.  The  mother  did  not  long 
survive  her  husband ;  but  the  uncle  kindly  cared  for 


18  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

the  daughter  till  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Brown,  who 
•was  then  not  as  well  off  by  any  means  as  now, 
when  he  was  doing  a  large  business  if  he  was  not 
exactly  wealthy.  Mrs.  Brown  had  al  \vays  been 
comfortably  cared  for,  but  she  had  nevertheless 
frequently  experienced  the  inconveniences  and 
desperations  of  impecuniosity  so  keenly  that  she 
never  forgot  them. 

"I  do  not  believe  in  love  in  a  cottage,  or  in  any 
thing  of  the  kind.  It  is  very  pretty  in  a  song  or 
in  a  poem  recited  or  sung  in  a  parlor  by  senti 
mental,  rich  young  people,  but  it  is  not  practical," 
Mrs.  Brown  said  in  a  characteristically  complacent 
manner  that  would  lead  one  to  suppose  there  was 
no  gainsaying  her  words.  "  It  is  all  nonsense. 
Yet  silly-pated  girls  will  believe  it  if  mothers  do 
not  instil  a  little  sense  into  their  heads  as  an  offset 
to  the  romantic  ideas  they  receive  from  books  and 
the  theatre,  particularly  the  opera,  which  is  all 
romance  generally.  With  a  comfortable  and 
elegant  home  and  the  luxuries  riches  can  provide, 
love  will  come  in  good  time.  A  woman  will 


THE    SINE    QUA   NON.  19 

naturally  love  the  husband  who  provides  her  with 
these,  and  her  love  will  strengthen  with  time, 
instead  of  being  weakened  and  crossed  with  vexa 
tion  and  disappointment,  common  incidents  in  the 
other  case ! " 

She  paused  to  note  the  effect  of  this  speech  on 
Mrs.  Campbell,  who,  in  her  eyes,  sadly  needed  re 
forming  or  awakening  to  duties  of  life,  which  was 
not  the  placid  all's-for-the-best  condition  she  sup 
posed  it  was  ;  but  that  lady,  not  feeling  equal  to  the 
task  of  refuting  her  arguments, — indeed  she  was 
completely  ovei'povvered  by  them, — had  first  sunk 
into  listlessness,  and  then  allowed  her  attention  to 
wander,  and  now  was  much  amused  watching 
some  children  playing  soldiers  on  the  lawn. 

Mrs.  Brown  went  desperately  to  work  on  her 
sewing — embroidery  of  an  elaborate  monogram  on 
a  delicate  carnbi'ic  handkerchief. 

Mrs.  Campbell's  eyes  wandered  from  the  lawn 
with  its  Liliputian  life,  to  the  gallery  and  toward 
the  parlor,  in  which  some  one  was  playing  on  the 
piano,  and  into  which  many  of  the  guests  had 


20  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

gone.  She  perceived  her  companion's  daughter, 
Miss  Adele  Brown,  emerge  from  one  of  the  parlor 
casements  opening  on  the  piazza,  followed  by 
a  gay  Southerner,  Colonel  Thomas,  who  had 

been  very  attentive  to  her  several  days  past.          » 
f 

"  Don't  you  think  Colonel  Thomas  very  hand 
some?"  she  observed. 

"  Yes — yes,"  assented  Mrs.  Brown,  not  looking 
up  from  her  work,  evidently  not  thinking  the  sub 
ject  of  much  consequence.  "Yes — yes,  but  he  is  a 
poor  man ;  the  war  has  impoverished  him,  or,  at 
all  events,  his  father ;  and  he  is  not  in  business  for 
himself.  I  pity  these  Southerners,  who,  raised  in 
affluence  and  not  intended  for  business-pursuits, 
are  now  thrown  on  their  own  resources.  The 
Thomases,  however,  do  very  well  with  their  race 
horses,  I  believe,  but  this  is  nothing  reliable." 

"  No  chance  for  him  there,"  musingly  observed 
Mrs.  Campbell,  in  a  matter  of  fact  sort  of  way, 
(that  afterwards  surprised  her)  as  much  as  to  say, 
"  he's  dismissed  1 "  That  nettled  Mrs.  Brown,  whose 
eyes  flashed  with  indignation. 


THE    SINE    QUA   NON.  21 

Before,  however,  Mrs.  Brown  could  mentally 
frame  a  sarcastic  reply  that  was  satisfactory,  her 
daughter  and  Colonel  Thomas  had  approached 
them,  and  she  lost  the  chance  to  lodge  her  vocal 
shaft. 


22  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 


CHAPTER  II. 

STRAWS. 

MRS.  BROWN  arose  with  much  majesty  of  man 
ner,  and  very  cordially  greeted  the  colonel,  who 
gracefully  placed  chairs  for  himself  and  Miss 
Brown ;  a  proceeding  which  the  mother  regarded 
with  distrust  especially  as  he  placed  the  chairs  in 
close  proximity. 

"  Oh  mother,"  the  daughter  exclaimed  on  sitting, 
"  I  have  been  so  much  interested  in  a  visit  to 
the  Indian  encampment.  Although  the  Indians- 
only  arrived  yesterday,  we  found  them  comforta 
bly  settled  and  busy  at  work.  Their  ingenuity  id 
wonderful.  They  make  all  kind  of  things  with 


STKAWS.  23 

straw,  beads,  and  colored  worsteds.  Colonel 
Thomas  insisted  on  my  taking  this  as  a  souvenir," 
and  Adele  took  a  pincushion  in  the  shape  of  a  heart, 
made  out  of  straw  and  worsted,  and  held  it  up 
admiringly. 

"I  supposed  you  were  promenading  on  the 
front  piazza,"  said  her  mother  with  some  asperity, 
regarding  the  souvenir  with  ill-concealed  dis 
pleasure. 

"  We  went  out  to  do  so,  replied  the  daughter, 
"  but  the  sun  soon  came  and  drove  us  away." 

It  was  evident  from  the  expression  on  Mrs. 
Brown's  face  that  she  did  not  at  all  like  the  "  we  " 
and  "  us "  in  Adele's  reply  ;  but  she  merely  re 
marked,  "  If  I  had  wanted  you  I  should  not  have 
known  where  to  have  found  you." 

"  You  must  blame  me  entirely,"  said  the  colonel, 
laughingly.  "I  wanted  to  convince  Miss  Adele 
I  could  talk  Indian,  and  prevailed  upon  her  to  go." 

"  And  do  you  talk  Indian  ?  "  incredulously  in 
quired  Mrs.  Campbell. 

"  After  a  fashion,"  responded  the  colonel.     "  Dur- 


24  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

ing  the  war," — then  checking  himself,  he  added, 
"  For  a  long  time  I  had  an  Indian  from  the  Red 
river,  Louisiana,  for  a  body-servant;  and  from 
him,  as  also  during  hunting  excursions  among 
his  people,  while  visiting  a  friend  near  Shreveport, 
I  learned  something  of  their  jargon !  But  I 
don't  think  the  big  Injun  this  morning  understood 
me  !  I  have  my  doubts,  however,  as  to  his  genuine 
ness,  lie  looked  in  his  straw  hat,  natty  clothing, 
and  comfortable  shanty,  like  a  well  sun-browned 
Irishman ! " 

"  Oh,  colonel,  how  unromantic  !  They  claim  to 
be  the  lineal  descendants  of  the  tribe  that  originally 
owned  this  section  of  the  country,"  said  Miss 
Brown. 

"I  know  they  do,"  responded  the  colonel,  "but 
I  doubt  their  claims.  They  are  more  gypsy  than 
Indian." 

Observing  that  Mrs.  Brown  was  becoming 
restive, — and  to  watch  her  was  a  source  of  much 
merriment  to  this  shrewd  young  man  of  the  world, 
— the  colonel  turned  to  her  and  observed : 


8TKAWS.  25 

'•  I  came  to  ask  the  pleasure  of  your  and  Miss 
Adele's  company  to  the  races  to-day.  None  of 
our  horses  run  to-day,  and  1  shall  be  entirely  at 
your  service."  But  out  of  politeness  he  added, "  Mrs. 
Campbell,  if  you  are  not  engaged,  I  should  be  glad 
of  your  company,  too  ;  let's  make  up  a  party." 

"  Thank  you,"  responded  Mrs.  Campbell,  "I  am 
engaged  to  the  Stevenses."  Looking  at  her  watch, 
she  added,  "It  is  getting  late,  and  I  must  go  and 
dress  ;  "  and  she  retired  from  the  group. 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  slowly, 
"  but—" 

Adele  looked  at  her  appealingly;  and  luckily 
for  her  the  worldly-minded  mother  misinterpreted 
the  look,  understanding  it  to  mean  a  desire  to  go 
to  the  races,  which  was  the  fashionable  thing  to 
do,  rather  than  a  wish  to  be  again  in  the  society 
of  the  captivating  Southerner. 

Mrs.  Brown  reflected  a  moment ;  she  had  no 
engagement  to  go  to  the  races  that  day — and  it 
was  considered  very  slow  to  remain  away,  because 
really  everybody  that  was  anybody  went — yet  she 


26  A    BROWN"    STONE    FRONT. 

did  not  care  to  encourage  the  advances  of  Colonel 
Thomas.  The  result  of  her  maternal  deliberation 
was  a  determination  to  accept  the  colonel's  invita 
tion  to  go  to  the  races,  but  to  cut  short  his  atten 
tions  on  their  return  by  studiously  avoiding  him. 
There  is  a  time  when  any  woman  can  justify  her 
self  in  making  a  convenience  of  an  escort.  Mrs. 

O 

Brown  thought  this  was  such  a  time. 

Mrs.  Brown  accepted  the  invitation  in  a  few 
formal  words,  averring  that  she  and  her  daughter 
had  made  arrangements  to  spend  the  morning  in 
in  one  of  the  cottages  with  a  neighbor  from  the 
city,  but  she  could  easily  send  an  excuse.  And  so 
they  went  to  the  races  with  Colonel  Thomas  in 
fine  style,  as  he  obtained  the  equipage  of  a  friend 
living  in  one  of  the  cottages. 

The  weather  could  not  have  been  more  auspi 
cious,  being  clear,  bright,  and  balmy;  and  there 
was  a  numerous  and  fashionable  attendance.  A 
very  fine  sight  is  a  race-course  on  a  'meeting' 
day, — the  expanse  of  field,  the  neat  sward,  the 
snake-like  track,  the  trim  fences  and  buildings,  the 


STRAWS.  27 

variously  engaged  crowd,  the  assembly  of  vehicles, 
the  prancing  and  noble-looking  steeds,  the  gayly 
attired  jockeys,  the  numerous  characteristic  groups, 
form  a  picturesque  and  inspiring  scene.  A  healthy 
excitement  it  is  when  the  swift  coursers  come 
flying  down  the  home-stretch,  the  people  on  the 
grand  stand  rising  en  masse,  and  those  on  the 
quarter  sti'etch  standing  tip-toe  to  obtain  a  better 
view  of  the  winner  as  he  dashes  under  the  string- 
The  reporters  of  the  New  York  papers  telegraphed 
as  they  always  do  Avhen  there  is  not  a  positive  fiasco, 
that  the  racing  was  the  best  of  the  season.  It  was 
certainly  very  good. 

"While  Mrs.  Brown  was  engaged  in  a  conver 
sation  "  across  the  benches  "  with  a  well-known 
General  of  the  United  States  Army,  and  an 
equally  eminent  leader  of  the  forces  on  Broad 
street, — for  without  any  claims  to  beauty,  or 
rare  conversational  power,  Mrs.  Brown  with 
great  tact  managed  always  to  make  herself  a 
centime  of  attention — Colonel  Thomas  found  opjior* 
tunity  for  a  few  words  with-\he  daughter. 


28  A    BROWX    STOXE    FRONT. 

"You  attend  the  hops  at  the  hotel,  I  believe?  " 
he  inquired. 

"  Not  regularly,  but  occasionally  mother  and 
I  go  in  for  a  little  while,"  she  replied.  [It  was 
customary  for  ladies  to  attend  without  escort.] 

"Shall  you  go  to-night?"  he  asked. 

"  Very  likely,"  she  replied. 

"  I  shall  be  engaged  in  the  early  part  of  the 
evening,"  said  he,  '•  or  I  should  ask  to  be  your 
escort.  We  have  a  horse  in  the  race  to-morrow, 
and  I  intend  to  purchase  a  few  pools  on  him.  But 
I  shall  drop  into  the  hop  afterward,  and  if  you  are 
there  will  you  dance  with  me  ?" 

"  Yes,"  she  murmured  softly,  much  pleased. 

"Thanks,"  he  replied. 

"I  shall  consider  it  an  engagement,"  she  re 
sponded,  gazing  upon  him  admiringly. 

The  colonel  did  not  think  that  the  mother 
overheard  them ;  but  he  was  mistaken  ;  not  that 
he  had  any  motive  for  wishing  she  had  not,  or 
caring  whether  she  did  or  not,  for  there  was  noth 
ing  to  be  concealed ;  that  lady,  however,  never 


STRAWS.  29 

allowed  herself  to  become  so  much  engrossed  in 
conversation  that  she  could  not  catch  the  tenor  of 
Avhat  was  said  in  her  proximity,  or  take  note  of 
the  significant  by-plays. 

Detecting  the  movement  of  the  colonel  toward 
establishing  a  confidence  with  Adele,  she  resolved 

O  * 

matters  had  gone  far  enough,  and  that  she  would 
put  a  stop  to  them  at  an  early  moment. 

After  the  races,  the  colonel  escorted  them  over 
to  his  stables  in  the  old  race-track,  and  had  several 
of  his  hoi'ses  brought  out  for  their  inspection. 

There  was  a  Lexington  colt  whose  symmetry  of 
form  challenged  admiration, — and  received  it  from 
moneyed  turfmen  as  wrell  as  from  inexperienced 
but  tasteful  ladies.  The  blooded  stock  of  the 
Thomases  was  their  pride,  and  was  as  fine  as  any 
in  the  country  ;  and.  several  equestrian  beauties 
were  shown.  A  fine  sight  is  a  thoroughbred 
horse,  with  his  noble  head  and  keen  eyes,  superb 
neck,  and  easy,  graceful  movements.  "  Blood  will 
tell,"  and  never  more  clearly  than  in  a  racehorse, 
whether  in  motion  or  at  rest. 


30  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

At  the  stables  the  colonel  had  the  opportunity 
to  utter  a  great  many  soft  little  nothings,  meant 
by  him  as  such,  but  received  with  the  utmost  con 
fidence  and  pleasure  by  Adele. 

The  return  from  the  race  was  uneventful.  Had 
the  driver  chosen  he  might  have  made  it  otherwise  ; 
for  the  opportunity  for  a  smash-up  was  frequently 
and  temptingly  offered. 

At  the  door  of  the  parlor,  when  the  colonel 
bade  them  adieu,  Mrs.  Brown,  preceded  by  Adele, 
whose  entrance  into  the  room  she  hastened 
by  a  gentle  though  unperceived  push,  said  to 
him: 

"  We  have  to  thank  you  for  a  very  pleasant 
drive  and  a  very  enjoyable  time.  We  shall 
always  be  happy  to  see  you.  Good  morning  !  " 

Adele  bowed  meekly  from  within,  and  uttered  a 
soft  "  Good  morning,"  with  eyes  sparkling  with 
feeling  and  admiration. 

The  colonel,  who  understood  matters,  responded 
and  bowed,  and  was  on  his  heels  in  a  moment. 
He  went  away  laughing  to  himself,  and  mutter 
ing  :  "  These  mothers  !  Oh,  these  mothers  !  " 


DISAPPOINTED.  31 


CHAPTER  III. 

DISAPPOINTED. 

I  AM  afraid  Adele  is  enamoured  of  Colonel 
Thomas.  If  she  is,  she  will  experience  much  men 
tal  anguish. 

Adele  was  a  very  loveable  girl.  She  united  the 
good  traits  of  both  father  and  mother,  and  pos 
sessed  none  of  their  faults.  She  was  good- 
tempered,  kind-hearted,  courteous,  affable,  un 
selfish.  She  had  been  carefully  educated  and  was 
accomplished.  She  conversed  fluently  in  German 
and  French,  and  was  skilled  in  drawing  and  paint 
ing,  both  in  water  and  oils.  There  was  no  kind 
of  fancy  work — from  shell-work  to  embroidery — 
in  which  she  was  not  aufait.  Her  reading  had  been 


82  A   BKOWN   STONE   FRONT. 

extensive,  and  she  was  familiar  with  all  the  standard 
authors.  But  what  marked  the  difference  between 
the  daughter  and  the  mother  more  strongly  than 
anything  else,  was  that  the  former  was  thoroughly 
unworldly  and  quite  unsophisticated  in  specu 
lative  matrimonial  views.  Her  mother  had  not 
yet  taken  this  part  of  her  domestic  education 
iii  hand.  The  "bump"  of  imagination  was 
fully  developed  on  Adele's  head,  and  she  lived 
much  in  an  ideal  world  of  her  own  creation ; 
and  the  lord  of  creation  in  this  microcosm  was 
Colonel  Thomas.  If  she  had  led  less  an  ideal  life, 
and  recognized  the  truths  of  the  real  world  as  they 
came  before  her  eyes,  probably  this  would  nut 
have  been  the  case ;  for  a  beautiful  trait  of  her 
character  was  that  she  was  considerate  to  a  re 
markable  extent  of  the  wishes  of  her  parents. 

She  and  her  mother  usually  went  to  the  hop  in 
the  evening,  in  the  old  Opera  House,  for  an  horn 
or  so,  if  they  had  no  other  engagement;  and  hav 
ing  none  for  that  evening  Adele  supposed  of  course 
they  would  go. 


DISAPPOINTED.  33 

She  made  some  alterations  in  her  toilette  after 
tea — I  will  not  venture  to  describe;  them — and  was 
surprised,  on  coming  out  on  the  piazza,  to  find 
that  her  mother,  who  usually  "prinked  up"  con 
siderably,  was  unprepared. 

"  Are  you  not  going  over  to  the  hop  this  even 
ing  ?  "  she  inquired. 

"No,"  responded  her  mother,  "  I  have  a  sick  head 
ache  ;  and  if  it  is  not  asking  too  much,  I  should 
like  you  to  remain  here  with  me,"  she  added  in  a 
manner  that  indicated  she  did  not  expect  a  refusal. 

"  Why  what  strange  language  !  If  it  is  not  ask 
ing  too  much !  Why,  of  course  I  will  stay  with 
you,"  Adele  exclaimed,  embracing  and  kissing  her 
mother.  "  I  would  not  have  left  you  even  if  you 
had  not  asked  me  to  stay !  " 

"  I  thought  you  might  have  some  appointment," 
said  the  mother,  observing  her  closely. 

"  I  promised  Colonel  Thomas  to  dance  with  him 
if  he  should  be  there,"  said  Adele. 

"  Oh,  that  doesn't  matter  in  the  least,"  responded 
the  mother:  but  observing  Adele  made  no  com- 


34  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

ment,  she  again   spoke :   "  Does  it  ?     If  so,  never 
mind  about  me ;  you  can  go  with  Mrs.  Campbell." 

"  Oh  no,  mother,  I'll  not  leave  you !  " 

She  sank  into  a  chair  beside  her  mother,  smother 
ing  her  disappointment  with  an  effort,  and  the  two 
enjoyed,  drank  in,  I  may  say,  the  delightful  coo 
that  came  with  the  twilight. 

How  any  sane  person, — man,  woman,  or  child, — 
could  leave  the  delightful  cool  of  the  open  air  for 
the  heated  atmosphere  of  the  ball-room  is  some 
thing  I  cannot  understand  ;  yet  as  soon  as  the  old 
Opera  House  was  lit  up,  and  the  band  vacated  its 
stand  on  the  lawn,  and  appeared  on  the  one  in  the 
dancing-room,  couples,  trios  and  groups  could  be 
observed  leaving  the  mammoth  hotel  by  various 
exits  and  repairing  to  the  hop,  seemingly  attracted 
to  the  light  like  moths.  The  music  struck  up  a 
popular  waltz,  and  soon  the  polished  floor  glittered 
with  the  play  of  daintily-cased  feet. 

Mrs.  Brown  occupied  a  suite  of  rooms  on  the 
second  floor  of  the  extension  on  the  right  hand — 
I  really  don't  know  whether  it  was  East,  West, 


DISAPPOINTED.  36" 

North,  or  South — and  so  was  not  far  from  the 
Opera  House.  From  their  seat  on  the  piazza,  she 
and  Adele  could  easily  see  everything  that  was 
going  on  in  the  ball-room.  With  the  aid  of  an 
opera  glass,  which  Mrs.  Brown  directed  Adele  to 
bring  out,  faces  could  be  recognized. 

For  awhile  Mrs.  Brown  kept  the  glass,  mention 
ing  to  Adele  those  whom  she  recognized  in  the 
motley  throng. 

All  the  time  she  had  the  glass,  Adele  strained 
her  eyes  in  an  eifort  to  discover  Colonel  Thomas 
among  the  merry-makers. 

When  her  mother  handed  her  the  glass  she  told 
her  she  could  keep  it.  You  had  better  believe 
that  mother  knew  what  she  was  about.  Colonel 
Thomas  had  not  come.  Colonel  Thomas  attended 
the  pool-selling  in  the  basement  previously  to  going 
to  the  hop,  and  it  was  to  Adele  a  long  time  ere  he 
made  his  appearance.  She  discovered  him  as  he 
entered.  He  walked  in,  calmly  surveyed  the 
room,  and  then  sauntered  around. 

"  He  is  looking  for  me  ! "  she  ejaculated  mentally. 


36  A    BEOWN    STOXE    FRONT. 

"What  will  he  think  of  me  for  not  keeping  my 
word  ?  " 

Adele  would  like  to  have  flown  to  him. 

He  takes  another  survey  of  the  room  and  then 

r 

comes  out  and  speaks  to  the  door-keeper. 

"  He  is  asking  if  I  have  been  there,"  sighs  Adele, 
consciously  blushing  and  glad  that  the  darkness 
concealed  the  fact  from  her  mother. 

[The  mother,  however,  made  inferences  from  her 
silent  and  intent  manner  that  were  not  far  from 
right.] 

Colonel  Thomas  after  conversing  a  few  seconds 
with  the  door-keeper,  returned  to  the  floor,  arid 
made  another  tour  of  the  room. 

It  is  about  time  I  should  describe  Colonel 
Thomas.  So  good  an  opportunity  has  not  offered 
itself  before. 

Born  and  reared  in  the  South,  near  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  at  the  family  homestead,  he  espoused 
the  cause  of  the  Confederacy  in  the  late  war.  At 
the  outbreak  he  went  to  Louisville  and  organized 
and  equipped  a  regiment  of  cavalry  at  his  own 


DISAPPOINTED.  37 

expense.  He  was  followed  by  agreement  by  some 
friends  of  his  own  age  from  the  neighborhood  ;  and 
these  he  made  his  subordinate  officers.  He  and  his 
regiment  won  distinction.  He  certainly  looked  the 
dashing,  cavalry  chieftain  that  history  reports  him 
to  have  been.  Six  feet  and  a  half  in  height,  well- 
built,  neither  slender  nor  stout,  his  figure  was 
stylish  and  commanding.  Long  jet  black  hair  did 
not  give  him  an  effeminate  appearance;  brushed 
back  from  his  forehead,  after  being  parted  on  the 
side,  it  fell  on  his  shoulder  in  a  rolling,  luxuriant 
curl,  and  with  his  dashing  air  suggested  the 
cavalier  of  a  by-gone  day,  especially  as  he  also 
wore  the  moustache  and  goatee.  His  features 
were  well  moulded  and  expressed  confidence  and 
determination.  His  eyes  were  the  admiration — 
adoration,  I  had  almost  said — of  the  ladies.  They 
were  blue,  and  large,  and  round,  and  brilliant. 
He  was  always  attired  in  a  suit  of  broadcloth,  the 
coat  buttoned  nearly  all  the  way  up  a  la  militaire. 
A  felt  hat  with  a  large  rolling  rim  added  a  char 
acteristic  effect  to  his  tout  ensemble. 


38  A   BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

Before  the  war  the  Thomases  had  been  very 
wealthy.  Their  landed  possessions  were  very 
extensive,  but  they  were  nearly  impoverished  by 
the  war,  either  through  their  liberal  contributions, 
or  the  confiscations  of  the  victors.  His  father  and 
brothers  also  held  important  positions  in  the  service 
of  the  Confederacy.  They  managed  to  save  a  por 
tion  of  the  homestead  domain  and  some  of  the  blood 
stock  for  which  they  had  been  famous  in  ante 
bellum  days. 

Since  the  war  the  colonel  and  his  father  had 
devoted  their  attention  to  raising  and  training 
their  horses  and  running  them  on  the  race-course ; 
and  they  travelled  about  with  them  to  the  various 
meetings. 

The  colonel,  after  going  around  the  room  a 
second  time,  addressed  a  young  lady  of  his  acquaint 
ance.  Presently  they  moved  away,  and  Adele 
caught  only  occasional  glimpses  of  them  as  they 
flitted  through  the  dizzy  mazes  of  the  waltz. 

"  He  has  forgotten  me  !  "  she  sighed. 

Thereafter  the  dashing  colonel,  who  was  much 


DISAPPOINTED  39 

sought  after  by  the  ladies,  because  he  was  a  good 
dancer,  besides  being  an  extremely  agreeable  com 
panion,  engaged  in  every  dance,  and  with  one  ex 
ception,  every  time  with  a  different  partner. 

Adele  was  heart-sick. 

"  He  does  not  love  me  !  "  she  sighed,  and  shortly 
after  retired,  but  it  was  dawn  ere  she  could  sleep. 

My  worst  fears  that  she  is  in  love  with  the 
colonel  are  realized. 

She  loved  him  at  first  sight ;  and  she  loved  him 
with  all  the  devotion  of  a  heart  that  had  known 
neither  sorrow  nor  guile,  but  was  ready  in  its 
purity  and  honesty  to  surrender  itself  with  all  the 
ardor  and  freshness  of  youth,  once  and  forever. 
The  heart  is  capable  of  but  one  such  effort  in  a 
life-time. 

And  she  had  thought  that  the  colonel  loved  her 
as  truly  as  she  loved  him. 

In  this  she  was  mistaken ;  she  had  been  deceived 
by  her  own  love  for  him,  and  misinterpreted  his 
glances  and  the  measured  cadence  of  his  voice. 

On  behalf  of  the  colonel  I  have  to  state  that  she, 


40  A    BROWX    STONE    FRONT. 

being  a  pretty,  fashionable  young  lady,  to  whom 
he  had  been  presented  by  a  dear  friend,  he  had 
thought  it  proper  to  show  her  some  attention. 
That  was  all  he  intended.  He  had  not  contem 
plated  even  a  flirtation.  He  had  taken  all  the 
young  ladies  up  to  the  Indian  encampment  or  the 
fancy  stores,  and  presented  each  one  with  some 
trifling  souvenir. 

Colonel  Thomas  had  no  more  idea  of  proposing 
to  Adele  than  to  any  one  of  the  score  or  more 
whom  he  danced  with  at  the  hop  that  nigh 

Poor  Adele  !     Don't  blame  her.     Pity  her. 


HEAET-SICK.  41 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HEAET-SICK. 

ADEIJS  was  too  unwell  to  leave  her  room  the 
next  day. 

Nor  was  she  any  better  the  next  or  the  succeed 
ing  ;  yet  the  symptoms — a  loss  of  appetite  and  a 
listlessness — were  not  alarming. 

I  am  surprised  that  her  sagacious  and  observant 
mother  did  not  divine  the  cause. 

She  was  alarmed,  and  the  leading  local  physician 
was  summoned,  and  her  father,  who  was  then  in 
New  York  and  had  only  consented  to  pass  a  week 
or  so  with  them  during  the  season,  was  tele 
graphed  for. 


42  A    BKOWX    STOXE    FEONT. 

The  physician  came,  found  she  had  a  fever, 
prescribed  and  left. 

The  father  arrived  by  the  next  train,  and  was 
alarmed  to  find  his  daughter  so  unwell. 

She  gradually  grew  better,  and  at  length  re 
covered  her  strength  and  freshness. 

It  was  simple  heart-sickness  ;  this  cures  itself ;  no 
medicine  can  relieve  it.  A  change  of  air  and 
scene,  the  excitement  of  travel  may  prove  benefi 
cial,  but  it  takes  its  own  time  nevertheless. 

A  number  of  gentlemen  as  well  as  ladies  had 
called  during  her  indisposition  to  see  her,  as  it  was 
understood  she  was  not  confined  to  her  room  and 
could  receive,  but  she  had  not  been  permitted  to 
see  visitors,  and  they  left  with  compliments  and 
an  inquiry  about  her  health. 

Her  mother  kept  a  list  of  these  visitors  and  read 
it  over  to  her  the  first  day  of  her  convalescence. 

The  name  of  Colonel  Thomas  was  not  on  the 
list. 

Adele  could  not  for  a  moment  persuade  herself 
that  the  colonel  had  not  called,  and, — preferring  to 


HEART-SICK.  43 

believe  that  it  was  an  oversight  that  his  name  had 
not  been  placed  on  the  list  (she  did  not  wrong  her 
mother  by  a  suspicion  of  trickery)  rather  than  that 
he  had  not  been  to  see  her, — she  ventured  to 
inquire  of  her  mother. 

"  No  ;  he  has  not,"  quickly  replied  the  mother, 
with  evident  satisfaction. 

"  He  does  not  love  me  !  "  sighed  Adele  ;  and  she 
closed  her  eyes,  and  any  one  observing  her  would 
have  perceived  that  her  features  were  momentarily 
convulsed  by  severe  mental  anguish.  The  look  was 
only  momentary,  but  it  was  the  indication  of  a 
desperate,  a  determined,  and,  as  it  proved,  a  success 
ful  effort  to  dismiss  Colonel  Thomas  forever  from 
her  mind  and  heart.  Her  hand  in  her  pocket 
crushed  the  cherished  souvenir  of  worsted  and  straw. 

From  that  moment  Adele  became  another  bein<r  ; 

o  y 

she  was  no  longer  a  romantic  girl,  but  a  resolute 
woman,  prepared  to  face  the  world.  The  mental 
change  gradually  and  at  first  imperceptibly  wrought 
a  change  in  the  face;  the  features  settled  into 
dignified  repose  and  received  the  impress  of  charac- 


44  A    BEOWX   STONE   FBONT. 

ter,  and  the  girlish  imperfection  or  immaturity  of 
her  beauty  was  no  longer  visible. 

A  few  minutes  afterwards  her  mother  made 
some  request  of  her  and  she  instantly  replied: 

"  Yes,  mother,  certainly  I  will."  She  added, 
after  a  pause,  with  an  emphasis  and  almost  fierce 
ness  that  startled  Mrs.  Brown  :  "  I  will  do  any 
thing  that  you  ask  oi  me !  "  and  immediately  left 
the  room  to  execute  her  mother's  wishes. 

"Poor  girl,"  soliloquized  the  mother.  "She  is 
dead  in  love  with  him,  or  at  all  events  fancies  she 
is !  It  is  only  a  girlish  attachment,  and  she  will 
soon  get  over  it !  I  shall  have  more  trouble  \vith 
him  than  with  her !  It's  plain  to  see  he  is  in  love 
with  her  !  I  wonder  what  has  become  of  him  ?  " 


PAPA   AND   MAMA.  45 


CHAPTER  V. 

PAPA    AND   MAMA. 

I  AM  about  to  relate  a  conversation  between  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brown  such  as  I  dare  say  often  occurs 
between  scheming  mothers  and  fathers  who  have 
marriageable  daughters. 

o  O 

Adele  had  quite  recovered  and  was  going  about, 
but  she  was  absent  at  the  time.  The  conversation 
was  held  in  the  privacy  of  their  own  room. 

Mr.  Brown,  a  tall,  portly  gentleman  of  about 
fifty-five  years  of  age,  with  a  florid  countenance, 
and  a  self-sufficient,  thoroughly  contented  expres 
sion,  an  abundance  of  white  hair  and  whiskers, 
listened,  as  usual,  simply  to  acquiesce  in  his  wife's 
suggestions,  which  if  it  had  been  necessary,  we 


46  A    BROWN    STOXE    FKOXT. 

may  readily  believe  from  what  we  know  of 
her  character,  would  have  been  commands.  Mr. 
Brown  was  a  thorough  business  man — one  of 
the  largest  and  most  successful  commission  mer 
chants  on  Broad  street ;  he  left  the  government 
of  his  household,  and  all  family  matters  to  his 
wife,  and  he  thought  he  did  enough  if  he  assisted 

/  o  O 

her  in  any  of  her  projects  by  complying  with 
any  request  she  might  make.  lie  had  done  his 
duty  by  his  family  in  providing  them  with  a 
fine  mansion  in  Madison  avenue,  and  by  send 
ing  them  annually  to  Saratoga  for  the  summer. 
Besides  Adele  they  had  been  blessed  with  two 
other  children ;  two  boys,  who  were  now  at  school 
at  Princeton,  N.  J.  He  was  constitutionally 
opposed  to  excitement  and  bother  outside  of  office 
hours,  and  claimed  his  right  to  enjoy  contentedly 
his  cigar ;  and  his  wile  generally  conceded  him 
this  privilege,  never  troubling  him  except  on 
important  matters. 

From  the  first  he  had  coincided  with  his  wife 
that  Adele  should  marry  a  rich  man,  or,  as  Mrs. 


PAPA    AND    MAMA.  47 

Brown  expressed  it,  "  a  husband  who  could  give 
her  a  brown  stone  front  and  carriage  and  horses ; " 
and  he  was  at  any  time  ready  to  assist  his  wife 

in  effecting  this ;  but  he  looked  to  her  to  do  the 

it 
selecting  and  the  scheming. 

lie  foresaw  that  an  important  matter  was  to  be 
discussed,  by  the  formality  of  Mrs.  Browivs  pro 
ceedings. 

He  lit  a  cigar  and  prepared  to  listen  to  her  by 
comfortably  settling  or  spreading  himself  over  a 
cane  extension  chair. 

"  Brown,"  she  began,  "  have  you  met  Colonel 
Thomas?" 

"Yes."     [Puff.] 

"  lie  has  been  foolish  enoiigh  to  fall  in  love  with 
Adele  ! " 

"  Indeed  !  "     [Puff.] 

"  What !  Why  you  don't  seem  to  think  any 
thing  of  it  at  all,"  observed  Mrs.  Brown  almost 
savagely. 

"  Why,  my  dear,  he  is  the  hundredth  who,  you 


48  A   BROWN"    STONE    FRONT. 

have  said,  has  fallen  in  love  with  her,"  he  replied 
complacently,  puffing  vigorously. 

"  What  did  he  say  to  you  ?  "  she  asked  eagerly. 

"  Oh,  why — nothing  !  " 

"  Xothing  !  Don't  talk  nonsense,  Brown.  Re 
member  you  are  talking  to  me !  Did  he  not 
propose  ?  " 

"  Xo !  " 

"Well,  what  did  he  say?" 

"  Well,  not  much ;  he  was  in  a  hurry !  " 

"  You  are  provoking !  Well,  when  he  runs 
away  with  your  daughter  and  you  find  yourself 
obliged  to  support  both  of  them,  for  he  is  riot  in 
business,  why,  then  don't  come  to  me  with 
regrets." 

"Why  what  do  you  mean  ?  "  he  asked  in  alarm. 

<(  Just  what  I  said,"  she  replied. 

"  Humph  !  [PufF,  and  another,  freer  this  time.] 
What  do  you  suggest  ?  What  do  you  want  me 
to  do  ?  " 

"  I  want  you  to  quarrel  with  him  and  sp  pre- 


PAPA   AJSTD    MAMA.  49 

vent  his  coming  here ; "  said  Mrs.  Brown,  coolly. 

"What?"     [Puff,  puff.] 

"  Just  what  I  say.  His  family  is  good  enough 
Imt  he  is  poor,"  responded  Mrs.  Brown,  still  im- 
perturable. 

"  Oh,  he  is  not  to  be  considered  for  a  moment ! " 
[Puff,  puff]  But—" 

"But  what?"  interrupted  Mrs.  Brown  im 
patiently. 

[Puff]  "Nothing;"  but  the  vision  of  a  duel 
with  a  fiery  Southerner  still  floated  before  Mr. 
Brown. 

"I  don't  mean  by  a  quarrel,  a  personal  en 
counter,"  resumed  Mrs.  Brown.  "  He  is  a  hot 
headed  young  Southerner,  and  can  be  readily 
drawn  into  a  conversation  on  the  southern  question, 
and  thus  a  coolness  can  easily  be  produced.  You 
see?" 

"Yes,"  assented  Mr.  Brown,  mentally  resolving, 
nevertheless,  not  to  have  such  a  conversation,  en 
tertaining  no  idea  of  running  the  risk  of  enraging 

o  o  o       a 

a  man  who  was  a  master  of  the  sword  and  pistol. 


50  A   BROWN   STONE   FRONT. 

"  Well  then,  the  sooner  you  set  about  it  the 
better,"  continued  Mrs.  Brown. 

"Yes,"  assented  Mr.  Brown,  recovering  his 
equanimity  and  again  puffing  vigorously. 

"Furthermore,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  "  it  is  about 
time  Adele  should  be  married.  I  have  looked 
about  in  vain  for  a  husband  for  her.  She  is  too 
young  and  inexperienced  to  be  expected  to  chose 
for  herself.  ISTow  you  must  help  me.  You  have  a 
better  opportunity  of  knowing  the  financial  re 
sources  of  eligible  gentlemen  than  I  have.  It  is  a 
duty  you  owe  your  daughter  to  do  this  much  for 
her.  You  cannot  better  employ  your  leisure  while 
here,  than  in  attending  to  this  matter ;  or  do  you 
know  of  any  one  who  would  be  eligible — in  your 
opinion  ?  " 

[Mr.  Brown  had  on  previous  occasions  proposed 
several  who  had  not  passed  Mrs.  Brown's  examina 
tion,  and  he  hesitated  now.] 

"  Humph  !  "  ejaculated  Mr.  Brown,  meditatively, 
smoking  very  complacently,  and  evidently  heedless 
of  the  sarcasm  of  his  wife's  last  words.  "  There's 


PAPA    AND   MAMA.  51 

Mr.  Dick,"  he  said  at  length,  "  how  would  he  do  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Dick  ?  Mr.  Dick,"  observed  his  wife  mus 
ingly,  and  momentarily  closing  her  eyes  as  if  try 
ing  to  remember  whether  she  knew  him  or  not. 

"  I  spoke  to  you  once  about  him,"  said  Mr- 
Brown.  "  You  have  never  met  him ;  he  is  not  in 
society." 

"Tell  me  who  he  is;  I  forget  all  about  him," 
said  his  wife. 

Mr.  Brown  then  told  her  that  Mr.  Dick  was  a 
respectably  connected  young  gentleman,  who, 
through  the  death  of  his  father,  had  come  into  a 
large  fortune ;  and  that  they  had  come  up  on  the 
train  together. 

"I  am  surprised  you  have  not  introduced  him," 
said  Mrs.  Brown,  and  she  really  looked  surprised. 

"He  has  not  been  come-at-able,  my  dear,"  re 
plied  Mr.  Brown. 

"What!  Do  you  mean  to  say  he  lias  been 
seized  by  the  Smith's?  or  the  Jones's?  or  Mrs. 
Rice?  What  have  you  been  thinking  about?" 
Mrs.  BroAvn  spoke  almost  savagely.  She  fairly 


52  A    BROWN    STONE    FEOXT. 

glared  at  Mr.  Brown,  being  maddened  by  his  com 
placency. 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,"  he  replied,  after  a  pause 
and  a  vigorous  puff.  "  He  shuns  woman  folks. 
Xo ;  he  has  been  on  a  spree." 

"Shame!  It  was  your  duty  as  a  Christian  to 
look  after  and  take  care  of  him,"  said  Mrs.  Brown 
sternly. 

"  Pshaw  !  "  Mr.  Brown  could  not  help  uttering, 
though  he  regretted  it  immediately.  "  He  does 
nothing  but  go  on  sprees  !  " 

"  I  will  reform  him,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  resolutely. 

"You  can  do  a  great  many  things,  my  dear,  but 
I  doubt  if  you  can  do  that.  [Puff,  puff.] 

"  Make  arrangements  to  present  him  this  even 
ing.  I  will  have  Adele  ready.  See  that  you  have 
him  ! " 

"  I  will  have  to  go  to  Morrissey's  to  find  him," 
said  Mr.  Brown  cautiously,  furtively  watching  his 
wife's  face. 

[She  had  made  him  promise  in  a  tender  moment 
before  coming:  to  Saratoga  thaf  he  would  never  2:0 


PAPA    AXD   MAMA.  53 

to  Morrissey's ;    and   he  had  been   longing   ever 
since  his  arrival  to  go  there  to  supper.] 

"  AVell,  you  can  go  there  to  find  him,"  she  said, 
and  the  interview  terminated. 


54  A   BROWN    STONE   FRONT. 


CHAPTER  VL 

EXIT   THE    COLONEL. 

As  he  was  passing  through  the  vestibule,  shortly 
after  this  interview,  Mr.  Brown  saw  Colonel 
Thomas  at  the  desk. 

Colonel  Thomas  observed  him  and  approached 
him. 

"  Ah,  good  day,"  said  he.  "  I  was  just  going  to 
send  my  card  to  your  daughter.  May  I  ask  if  she 
is  in?"  he  continued,  after  Mr.  Brown  returned 
his  salutation. 

"  Xo  ;  she  has  been  out  all  the  afternoon." 

"  I  regret  she  is  out.  I  wished  to  bid  her  adieu," 
the  colonel  said,  interrupting  him. 


EXIT  THE   COLONEL.  55 

"  What,  are  you  going  to  leave  ?  "  inquired  Mr. 
Crown,  feigning  regret. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  colonel.  "  I  had  hoped  and  in 
tended  to  remain  here  a  few  days  longer,  but  a  tele 
gram  from  my  father  summons  me  to  Long  Branch. 
I  leave  in  to-night's  train.  Father  left  for  Long 

O  O 

Branch  with  our  string  of  horses  the  day  after  the 
meeting,  and  he  has  been  laid  up  with  his  old  com 
plaint  (the  gout)  and  so  I  am  needed  to  superintend 
the  training  of  the  horses.  You  know  we  think  we 
can  name  the  winner  of  the  Monmouth  cup." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  you  leave  so  soon,"  said  Mr. 
Brown,  "  and  I  know  my  daughter  will  also  regret 
not  seeing  you." 

"  I  must  ask  you  to  express  my  adieus  to  her ; 
and  also  to  tell  her  that  somehow  I  only  heard 
of  her  recent  indisposition  yesterday,  or  I  should 
certainly  have  called  ;  "  and  the  colonel  grasped  Mr. 
Brown's  hand,  and  bade  him  good-by,  making  him 
promise  to  stay  at  the  homestead  if  he  ever  came 
to  Lexington ;  and  then  some  other  person  claimed 
the  hospitable  Southerner's  attention. 


56  A    BROW^T    STOXE    FRONT. 

[Mr.  Brown  was  a  prudent  man :  his  natural 
impulse  was  to  repeat  to  his  daughter  the  colonel's 
apologies  and  adieus;  but  he  wisely  resolved  to 
consult  his  wife  first,  and  that  astute  lady  decided 
that  nothing  should  be  said  on  the  subject  to  Adele.] 

Some  one  told  Mr.  Brown  on  his  asking,  that 
Mr.  Dick  had  last  been  seen  rolling  ten  pins  at  the 
Indian  encampment,  and  thither  he  went  in  search 
of  him. 

He  had  left  there  nearly  an  hour  since. 

"  I  am  sorry ;  I  wished  to  see  him,"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Brown. 

"  I  can  tell  you  where  you'll  find  him,"  said  a 
young  gentleman  who  had  evidently  succeeded 
the  absent  Dick  in  the  game.  "  You'll  find  him  at 
Morrissey's !  "  he  added  in  a  half  whisper. 

No  answer  could  have  been  more  agreeable 
to  Mr.  Brown,  and  he  went  at  once  to  Morrissey's 
palatial  establishment,  and  found  Mr.  Dick  in  the 
dining  saloon  busily  engaged  dissecting  a  fish  (done 
to  a  turn),  from  the  lake  with  a  bottle  of  the 
"Widow  Cliquet  before  him. 


EXIT   THE    COLONEL.  57 

Mr.  Dick  perceived  Mr.  Brown  as  soon  as  he 
looked  into  the  saloon,  and  beckoned  him  to  a 
seat  opposite  him,  ordering  a  plate,  etc.,  of  the 
attentive  waiter  at  his  back. 

As  Mr.  Brown  took  his  seat,  the  plate  was 
placed,  a  fi.sh  served,  and  his  glass  filled;  and 
soon  the  two  were  in  conversation. 

After  a  few  common-place  remarks,  Mr.  Dick 
became  confidential  as  well  as  morose. 

He  confessed  he  had  just  lost  five  thousand 
at  faro  in  an  endeavor  to  recover  one  thousand 
which  he  lost  last  night;  and  he  looked,  and 
probably  felt,  very  miserable ;  but  whether  at  the 
pecuniary  loss  or  at  the  lack  of  skill  or  luck  in  the 
game  which  the  loss  implied,  it  is  not  in  my  power 
to  say.  I  am  able  to  state,  however,  that  he  need 
not  have  regretted  for  a  moment  the  pecuniary 
loss  ;  he  could  afford  it. 

Mr.  Brown,  by  way  of  consolation,  made  a  remark 
to  this  effect,  without  affording  much  solace  to  the 

'  O 

young  gentleman. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing  since  you  have 


58  A   BROWN   STOXE    FKO3T. 

been  up  here,  that  I  have  not  seen  you  ?"  asked 
Mr.  Dick,  perhaps  anxious  to  change  the  conversa- 
sion. 

"  Oh,  I  have  been  with  my  family  ! "  replied  Mr. 
Brown;  and  then  he  went  on  to  tell  his  friend  he 
wanted  to  introduce  him  to  his  daughter  in  the 
evening,  and  planned  a  drive  to  the  lake  and  a 
fish  supper. 

Mr.  Dick  was  pleased  and  readily  assented ;  Mr. 
Brown  was  surprised  as  well  as  delighted. 

Slightly  under  the  influence  of  champagne,  and 
chagrined  at  his  "  bad  luck,"  he  was  in  a  mood 
when  he  could  be  controlled  by  any  one  who 
happened  to  be  with  him ;  and  it  was  fortunate 
for  Mr.  Brown  that  he  was  in  that  condition  now. 

Their  repast  finished,  they  left  Morrissey's  to 
gether,  and  passed  the  rest  of  the  afternoon  in  a 
cool  corner  of  the  piazza  at  Congress  Hall  whei'3 
Mr.  Dick  was  stopping ;  and  in  the  desultory  con 
versation  that  ensued,  Mr.  Brown  learned  much 
about  his  friend  that  was  very  interesting. 


MU.    DICK.  59 


CHAPTER   VII. 

ME.    DICK. 

A  BRIEF  chapter  here  concerning  Mr.  Dick,  who 
in  the  future  will  play  a  prominent  part  in  ray 
story,  will  not,  I  hope,  prove  unacceptable  to  the 
reader. 

In  early  life,  in  fact  until  the  age  of  fifteen,  Mr. 
Dick  had  been  worked  so  hard  on  his  father's  farm  ii 
the  interior  of  the  state,  that  he  determined,  and  ht 
had  since  had  no  reason  to  change  his  decision,  not 
to  do  any  steady  work  if  he  coiild  help  it.  Fortune 
favored  him.  When  he  was  fifteen  his  father  "be 
came  independent  by  quarrying  a  stone  mine  on 
his  farm;  exhausting  which,  he  was  fortunate  in 


60  A    BROW-*    STOIN'E    FRONT. 

being  able  to  sell  the  estate  at  a  good  price.  He 
removed  to  New  York.  William — for  this  was 
the  boy's  name — was  placed  at  school.  His  father 
engaged  in  speculation  and  was  successful.  I  have 
neglected  to  state  that  his  mother  died  while  he 
was  very  young ;  he  was  the  first  and  only  child. 
William  had  little  capacity  for  learning,  though 
he  remained  five  years  at  school.  His  tutors  recog 
nized  his  incapacity  and  humored  him  because  he 
was  a  rich  man's  son.  He  attended  school  when 
he  had  no  other  engagement,  and  studied  when  so 
inclined.  Indeed,  he  did  pretty  much  as  he  pleased 
there  as  at  home.  Deprived  of  a  mother's  watch 
ful  care  and  neglected  by  his  father,  who  was  com 
pletely  absorbed  in  his  business  pursuits — those  of 
speculating  in  real  estate  and  stocks — it  is  not  sur 
prising  that  he  fell  in  with  bad  company  and  be 
came  dissipated.  lie  had  money,  he  had  leisure ; 
he  had  a  constitution  that  could  stand  a  great  deal. 
He  left  school  of  his  own  accord,  and  immediately 
entered  a  gymnasium  where  he  became  a  skillful 
and  brave  athlete.  He  was  a  youth  of  muscular 


MR.    DICK.  61 

proportions,  who  at  this  period  looked  like  a 
pugilist  or  professional  oarsman,  and  this  was 
what  he  "  affected."  He  had  no  higher  aspirations, 
when,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  came  into  the 
possession  of  his  father's  fortune  by  the  sudden 
death  of  that  gentleman  caused  by  the  break 
age  of  a  blood  vessel  from  intense  excitement  during 

O  O 

a  crisis  in  Broad  street.  You  may  remember  the 
circumstance.  It  was  freely  commented  on  in  the 
daily  papers.  Excepting  a  loose  hundred  thousand 
his  money  was  well  invested ;  and  this  William 
sensibly  added  to  one  of  the  deposits,  deciding  to 
live  on  and  within  his  income.  He  sold  the  resi 
dence  and  went  into  a  suite  of  rooms  at  a  fashion 
able  hotel.  He  now  became  less  of  a  sporting  man, 
and  more  a  man  of  the  world.  I  might  go  on  at 

O  O 

this  rate  and  fill  many  pages  with  items  about 
him ;  but  the  interest  of  my  story  does  not 
warrant  this.  To  come,  then,  down  to  the  present, 
a  few  months  before  visiting  Saratoga,  his  wealth 
was  increased  to  a  million  by  an  inheritance  from 
an  old  uncle  in  Connecticut  whom  he  had  never 


62  A    BROWN    STONE    FBONT. 

seen,  (which  was  perhaps  fortunate  for  him.)  At 
the  age  of  twenty-four  we  find  him  a  millionaire. 
He  had  freed  himself  from  the  aspect  of  a  pro 
fessional  athlete  by  letting  his  hair  gro\v  to  a 
decent  length,  and  by  donning  the  subdued  colors 
and  plain  clothes  which  distinguish  the  gentleman. 

In  the  conversation  alluded  to,  it  is  but  fair  to 
state  that  Mr.  Dick  did  not  tell  all  this  to  Mr. 
Brown  ;  I  have  added  a  good  deal  from  my  own 
personal  knowledge.  The  conversation  lasted  till 
tea-time,  when  Mr.  Brown  left  to  go  to  his  tea, 
and  to  prepare  his  wife  and  daughter  to  receive  Mr. 
Dick  an  hour  and  a  half  later. 

The  ladies  had  already  made  their  toilettes  in 
expectation,  and  Mr.  Brown  found  time  to  relate 
to  his  wife  his  conversation  with  Mr.  Dick. 

"  I  will  be  a  mother  to  him,"  said  Mrs.  Brown, 
energetically. 


MB.  DICK    IS    PRESENTED.  63 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MR.    DICK    IS    PRESENTED. 

MR.  DICK  called  after  tea.  He  found  Mr.  Brown 
sitting  on  the  front  piazza,  smoking.  In  truth  he 
was  awaiting  him,  in  order  to  "capture  him,"  as 
he  facetiously  said,  to  his  wife,  as  he  left  her,  before 
anybody  else  ran  off  with  him;  but  the  cigai'  was 
the  game.  Brown  regretted  having  to  throw 
away  his  half-finished  cigar,  and  secretly  wished 
Dick  had  Availed  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later.  He 
sacrificed  the  cigar,  however,  with  manly  resigna 
tion. 

The  ladies  awaited  them  on  their  piazza — I  mean 


64  A    BKOWX    STOXE    FRONT. 

that  part  of  the  piazza  which  fronted  their  private 
rooms — and  thither  the  gentlemen  went. 

Mr.  Dick  was  presented  with  much  ceremony, 
and  provided  with  a  chair  between  mother  and 
daughter,  Mr.  Brown  seating  himself  on  the  other 
side  of  his  wife. 

Adele  was  very  charming  in  a  white  organdie, 
with  natural  flowers  in  her  beautiful  blonde  hair. 

Mrs.  Brown  contrived  to  make  the  two  hours 
that  Mr.  Dick  remained  with  them  pass  very 
pleasantly. 

He  admitted  as  much  to  himself  on  his  way  back 
to  his  hotel. 

Mrs.  Brown  did  not  think  that  on  first  acquaint 
ance,  especially  if  her  mother  were  by,  a  young 
lady  should  run  the  risk  of  being  considered  for 
ward  and  pert  by  an  excess  of  affability,  and  Adele 
taking  little  interest  in  the  proceeding,  said  just 
enough  to  please  her. 

Mr.  Dick's  conversational  power  was  limited — 
in  the  presence  of  ladies ;  and  he  felt  very  grate 
ful  to  Mrs.  Brown  for  relieving  him  of  the  em- 


MR.    DICK   IS   PRESENTED.  65 

barrassment  of  talking,  by  skillfully  conducting 
the  conversation. 

As  he  was  leaving  he  asked  Brown  "how  about 
that  drive  to  the  lake  and  a  fish  supper  at 
Moon's  ?  " 

Mr.  Brown  told  him  they  would  go  the  next  even 
ing  if  it  would  be  convenient  to  him. 

Mr.  Dick  said  it  would,  and  added  that  he  must 
be  permitted  to  do  the  honors  of  the  occasion. 

"  Oh,  you  shall  have  that  privilege  another  time," 
responded  Mr.  Brown,  jocularly. 

"  Very  well ;  I  shall  hold  you  to  your  promise," 
replied  Mr.  Dick.  He  continued : — "I  have  sent 
down  to  New  York  for  my  carriage  and  horses, 
and  I  hope  we  can  arrange  some  pleasant  drives ; '' 
whereupon  Mrs.  Brown  smiled  pleasantly. 

He  then  made  his  adieus  and  left. 

"  Wliat  do  you  think  of  him  ? "  inquired  the 
mother. 

"Not  well  educated  nor  very  well  bred;  but  a 
clever,  good-natured  sort  of  person,"  was  the 
daughter's  summary. 


66  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

"A  capital  fellow !  "  was  the  father's  comment. 

"  I  will  confess  I  wish  I  knew  more  of  his 
family,"  Mrs.  Brown  resumed  thoughtfully. 

Mrs.  Brown  had  much  family  pride.  Mr.  Brown, 
who  came  from  Xew  Jersey,  did  not  .know  any 
thing  of  his  ancestors  beyond  his  grandfather; 
Lut  his  wife  who  was  the  granddaughter  of  an 
esteemed  Knickerbocker,  could  trace  her  descent 
back  several  generations, — Dutch  on  the  paternal 
side,  on  the  maternal,  English.  Her  own  mother 
was  an  English  lady,  and  from  her  she  came  by 
the  crest  which  adorned  her  china  and  plate. 

"  But,"  she  added,  after  a  pause,  "  he  is  a  mil 
lionaire." 


BUTTERFLIES.  6V 


CHAPTER  IX. 

BUTTERFLIES. 

FROM  the  drive  and  supper  which  had  been  planned 
may  be  dated  Mr.  Dick's  courtship  of  Adele ;  for 
in  these  he  occupied  a  place  by  her  side  and  was 
shrewdly  permitted  by  the  mother  to  monopolize 
her  conversation. 

Miss  Finch,  an  old  maid,  who,  regularly  since 
she  "  came  out,"  had  visited  Saratoga  for  the 
benefit  of  the  waters,  (with  no  idea  of  catching  a 
husband,)  declared  all  the  courting  was  done  by 
Mrs.  Brown;  but  this,  in  justice  to  the  mother, 
I  must  deny. 


68  A    BROWN    STOXE    FKONT. 

Two  evenings  afterward,  by  which  lime  Mr. 
Dick's  carriage  and  horses  had  arrived,  they  took 
their  first  drive  with  him,  followed  by  the  supper 
at  Moon's, — excursions  which  were  frequently 
repeated,  and  as  may  be  imagined  were  always 
very  enjoyable.  The  four  made  tip  the  complement 
for  a  table;  and  four  are  enough  for  a  sociable 
repast.  There  can  be  no  sociability  when  there 
are  more.  Brown,  however,  was  a  gourmand,  and 
would  allow  little  conversation  while  the  luscious 
fish  was  being  dissected ;  for  cold  fish  had  no 
flavor  and  was  consequently  not  palatable  ;  there 
fore,  he  wished  them  to  devote  their  attention  to 
it  while  it  was  before  them — there  was  time  enough 
afterward  for  chat.  lie  instructed  the  waiters  to 
remove  the  plate  of  any  one  who  relaxed  his 
attention  to  its  luscious  contents  and  gave  way 
to  conversation.  The  only  one  caught  in  this  crime 
was  his  wife. 

Mr.  Dick  also  became  the  ladies'  escort  to  the 
Springs — for  of  course  they  took  the  waters  regu 
larly — and  they  enjoyed  many  delightful  promen- 


BUTTERFLIES.  69 

ades  in  the  shady  park  in  the  glory  of  morning  as 
well  as  under  the  twilight'  shadows. 

All  this  was  a  novel  experience  to  Mr.  Dick, 
who  had  been  little  in  ladies'  society,  or,  in  fact,  in 
society  at  all ;  and,  his  new  found  friends  improving 
on  acquaintance,  he  regarded  with  great  pleasure 
the  turn  of  fortune  which  brought  them  together. 

As  yet,  however,  it  was  merely  a  flirtation.  In 
early  life  he  had  declared  he  should  never  marry ; 
and  later  when  he  saw  his  wedded  friends  disagree 
ing,  he  fortified  himself  in  this  resolution.  Now, 
the  subject  never  once  entered  his  thoughts. 

When  some  of  his  friends  jocosely  congratulated 
him  on  his  good  fortune  in  obtaining  the  company 
of  so  charming  a  young  lady,  his  vanity  was 
touched,  and  he  took  pride  in  parading  his  atten 
tions  to  Adele. 

Once  when  she  accepted  the  escort  of  another 
gentleman,  (obeying  in  this  the  skilful  strategy  of 
her  mother,)  he  Avas  quite  piqued.  lie  never  passed 
a  more  miserable  afternoon  in  his  life.  He  took 
good  care  in  the  future  to  be  in  regular  attendance 


70  A    BROWN    STONE   FRONT. 

on  her.  He  ordered  from  the  city  a  stylish  equip 
age,  and  they  attended  the  races  daily  during  the 
second  or  August  meeting. 

Here  Adele  met  Colonel  Thomas,  but  her  reco^- 

*  O 

nition  was  very  cold  and  formal.  But  the  colone'' 
did  not  give  the  affair  a  second  thought. 

The  colonel  made  himself  the  object  of  general 
attention  one  day,  by  subduing  a  restless  horse,  who, 
when  he  came  to  the  post,  would  not  stand  still,  bui 
started  off  prematurely  and  endeavored  to  throw 
his  rider.  He  seized  the  horse  by  the  bridle  and 
soon  brought  him  to  his  senses.  The  horse  was 
one  of  his  own,  and  he  stood  in  front  of  him  instead 
of  the  side,  annoying  him. 

But  the  next  day,  as  if  divining  her  wish,  Mr. 
Dick  made  himself  equally  conspicuous  to  those  o. 
the  grand  stand  as  well  as  the  quarter-stretch. 
There  was  a  "  selling-race,"  and  the  winner  showed 
such  speed  that  all  the  racing  men  wanted  to  pur 
chase  him,  but  Mr.  Dick  outbid-  all  of  them,  includ 
ing  Colonel  Thomas,  amid  great  excitement. 

Adele  thought  well  of  Mr.  Dick  for  the  first  time, 


BUTTERFLIES.  7 1 

this  day.  The  motive  can  readily  be  understood. 
If  he  were  not  accomplished  and  handsome,  he  was 
plucky  and  indomitable  j  qualities  all  women  ad 
mire  in  men. 

Mr.  Dick  discovered  about  this  time  that  he  was>, 
not  entirely  happy  excepting  while  in  the  society 
of  Adele ;  that  when  he  was  away  from  her  an  un 
satisfactory  image  of  her  filled  his  mind's  eye,  and 
he  missed  her.  He  began  to  dread  the  approach 
of  the  breaking  up  of  the  season,  because  there 
would  not  be  the  same  opportunity,  in  the  city,  of 
seeing  her  so  often. 

Slowly  now  the  idea  of  proposing  to  her  dawned 
upon  him ;  he  scouted  it  at  first,  but  soon  recog 
nized  it  as  sensible  and  proper. 

Men  of  his  stamp  are  slow  and  cautious  in  mak 
ing  up  their  minds,  but  bold  and  energetic  when 
they  have  once  decided  on  a  course  of  action. 


72  A.   BKOWX    STONE    FKOXT. 


CHAPTER  X. 

COURTSniP. 

THE  majority  of  courtships — where  there  is  no 
elopement,  or  quarrel  and  family  interposition — 
possess  little  interest,  except,  of  course,  for  the 
contracting  parties,  the  blissful  couple,  and  the 
immediate  relatives  and  friends,  who  are  in  the 
secret.  Lovers  are  company  for  no  one  but  them 
selves.  If  they  go  into  company  they  sit  apart 
from  the  rest  and  do  not  participate  in  the 
general  conversation.  Go  and  see  them  and  they 
ignore  you,  after  a  few  commonplaces.  When  by 
themselves  they  will  often  sit  and  gaze  at  each 
other  by  the  hour  without  uttering  a  word.  [I 
have  watched  them.] 


COUKTSIIIP.  73 

Mr.  Dick's  courtship  of  Adele  was  an  ordinary 
one,  and  there  is  nothing  beyond  a  record  of  facts 
to  be  said  on  the  subject.  I  might  make  a  good 
deal  of  innocent  fun  at  Mrs.  Brown's  expense  for 
her  manoeuvring  which  almost  justified  Miss 
Finch's  remai'k. 

Confidentially,  when  he  thought  the  proper  time 
to  propose  had  come — please  remember,  if  you 
think  him  precipitate,  he  was  encouraged  by  Mrs. 
Brown — Mr.  Dick  experienced  much  mental  per 
plexity. 

The  reader  can  surmise  the  cause. 

I  have  an  idea  that  men  make  fools  of  themselves 
when  they  propose  to  their  lady-loves ;  they  will 
talk  freely  on  all  sorts  of  confidential  subjects,  but 
the  one  in  point. 

Novelists,  too,  are  cautious  in  treating  the  sub 
ject,  and  generally  avoid  it. 

Mr.  Dick  was  a  thorough  man  of  the  world,  but 
he  was  no  flirt ;  hence  his  perplexity. 

He  was  by  no  means  an  orthodox  person,  but  ho 


74  A    BROWN    STOKE    FEONT. 

adopted  the  orthodox  way  in  the  matter  of  pro 
posing. 

The  father  shortly  came  up  from  the  city ;  the 
season  was  drawing  to  a  close,  and  he  wanted  to 
arrange  for  the  return  of  his  family. 

Mr.  Dick  asked  permission  of  the  father  to  pro 
pose  to  his  daughter. 

"  You  have  it,  God  bless  you ! "  replied  Mr. 
Brown,  showing  some  feeling  notwithstanding  his 
delight. 

"  Do  you  think  she  will  accept  me  ?  "  Mr.  Dick 
asked  speculatively,  as  if  calculating  his  chances. 

"  She  loves  you  devotedly ; "  was  all  the  father 
could  say  to  this. 

The  conversation  occurred  in  the  evening  after 
Mr.  Dick  had  called  on  Adele. 

Before  retiring,  Mr.  Brown  reported  it  to  Mrs 
Brown. 

Mrs.  Brown  sought  her  daughter.  What  she 
said  to  her  need  not  be  repeated. 

Adele  had  expected  this — she  knew  what  was 
meant  by  the  formal  introduction  several  months 


COURTSHIP.  75 

ago,  and  she  did  not  evince  the  slightest  surprise. 

"  You  will  accept  him,"  said  the  mother,  cau 
tiously.  She  added  immediately : — "  for  my  sake  ?  " 

"  Mother,  I  will  do  anything  that  you  ask  of 
me,"  she  replied,  "  as  I  promised  some  time  ago  !  " 

The  mother  kissed  her  and  left  her. 

Adele,  prompted  perhaps  by  a  perversity  com 
mon  to  human  nature,  unintentionally  misled  her 
mother  by  her  replies  in  regard  to  her  love  for  llr. 
Dick.  She  did  not  love  him  with  the  devotion 
that  she  had  given  Colonel  Thomas;  her  heart  was 
incapable  of  another  such  effort ;  but  regarding 
Mr.  Dick  as  her  inevitable  husband  through  the 
force  of  circumstances,  she  had  taught  herself  to 
love  him,  and  she  now  thought  she  loved  him 
well  enough  to  make  him  a  good  and  faithful 
wife.  So,  the  next  day,  when,  in  the  course  of  the 
after  noon  drive,  Mr.  Dick  proposed,  Adele  accepted. 

She  Avas  true  to  herself,  and  honorable  towards 
him. 

He  was  not  so  honest  either  to  himself  or  to  her, 
but  he  did  not  know  his  mind  so  well. 


76  A   BKOWN   STONE    FEONT. 


CHAPTER  XL 

MARKIAGE. 

THEY  returned  to  the  city  shortly  after,  for  the 
season  ;  and  the  engagement  was  announced. 

Mrs.  Brown  did  not  believe  in  long  engagements 
and  she  advised  that  an  early  date  be  fixed  for  the 
nuptials. 

"  There  is  no  reason  for  delay  and  there  should  be 
no  delay,"  said  she.  And  when  this  is  the  case,  it 
is  cruelty  to  keep  two  loving  hearts  separated  by 
a  long  engagement."  If  she  had  been  given  to 

o  o    o  o 

quotation  she  might  have  added,  "  There  is  many  a 
slip  'twixt  the  cup  and  the  lip ;  "  and  she  did  not 
mean  there  should  be  one  in  this  case. 


MARFvIAGE.  77 

She  had  no  reason,  however,  for  the  slightest 
misgivings  or  apprehensions ;  for  Mr.  Dick,  for  a 
nature  of  so  little  ardor,  was  all  devotion  and 
attention,  while  Adele  appeared  to  be  very  happy 
and  sanguine. 

Mrs.  Brown,  of  course,  assumed  the  management 
of  the  wedding  preparations.  At  Mr.  Dick's  en 
treaty  she  also  superintended  the  furnishing  of  the 
elegant  brown  stone  mansion  which  he  had  pur 
chased  for  his  occupancy  after  marriage. 

Mrs.  Brown  suggested  a  bridal  trip  to  Europe, 
but  Mr.  Dick  from  the  first  very  sensibly  objected 
to  a  sea-voyage  in  mid-winter.  Indeed  he  did  not 
approve  of  a  journey  anywhere  at  this  season  ;  but 
Mrs.  Brown  prevailed  upon  him  to  visit  Washing 
ton  for  a  fortnight,  while  she  prepared  his  house. 

There  is  one  thing  she  deserves  and  shall  receive 
credit  for ;  and  that  is  that  she  did  not  furnish  and 
select  everything  because  some  other  leader  of  the 
fashion  had  so  furnished  and  selected ;  but  she 
exercised  her  own  taste  and  judgment,  and  did  not 
resign  herself  to  tasteless  upholsterers,  et  id  omne 


78  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

genus.  For  this,  in  these  days  of  servile  imitation 
and  reproduction  she  certainly  deserves  much 
credit. 

Tbe  marriage  passed  off  with  great  eclat.  One 
of  the  society  journals,  which  is  before  me  as  I 
write,  is  eloquent  in  its  report  of  the  event.  At 
first  it  was  was  proposed  that  the  ceremony  should 
be  performed  at  Grace  Church,  and  the  reception 
held  afterward  at  the  Brown  mansion.  But  Mrs. 
Brown  decided  that  the  ceremony  should  also 
occur  under  the  parental  roof. 

The  Brown  mansion  was  well  up  town  on  Madi 
son  avenue.  It  was  a  double  house  with  high 
ceilings,  and  commodious,  frescoed  rooms.  On  the 
first  floor,  on  the  left  of  the  hall,  were  two  long 
parlors,  separated  by  ornate  arches.  There  was 
a  spacious  bay-window  in  the  rear,  overlooking 
in  summer  a  small  flower  garden,  or  more  properly 
speaking  a  large  rockery,  picturesquely  draped' 
with  various  flowering  vines.  This  bay-window 
was  beautifully  festooned,  canopied,  I  might  say, 
with,  flowers,  so  that  on  the  festive  occasion  it 


MARRIAGE.  79 

looked  like  a  floral  niche.  In  this  stood  the  eminent 
divine  who  performed  the  marriage  ceremony. 
The  society  journal  referred  to,  somehow  ascer 
tained  that  the  floral  display  cost  nearly  three 
thousand  dollars.  I  know  that  the  resources,  of 
two  leading  florists  were  taxed  to  supply  the  de 
mand  ;  for  there  was  an  elaborate  display  of 
flowers  in  all  the  other  rooms.  Beautiful  flowers, 
the  "joys  of  the  shrubs  that  bear  them,"  or, 
as  Pliny  calls  them,  the  "  stars  of  the  earth  !  " — 
the  air  was  perfumed  with  their  exquisite  odors. 
The  rooms  on  the  other  side  of  the  hall,  some  of 
my  readers  may  be  interested  to  know,  were  three 
in  number ;  in  front  there  was  a  reception  room, 
which  was  isolated,  as  it  were,  by  a  corridor  running 
from  the  centre  hall  to  aporte  cochaise.  This  was  a 
long  room  as  also  that  on  the  other  side  of  the 
hall,  which  was  evidently  the  dining-room.  Both 
Ihese  rooms  were  arranged  for  dancing.  The  band 
was  located  in  the  hall  intervening,  so  that  its 
music  flooded  each  room  equally.  At  the  foot 
of  the  stairs  leading  to  the  ground  floor  under  the 


80  A    BBOWN    STONE    FRONT. 

flight  above,  \vas  the  promenade  band,  the  music 
from  which  softly  and  gently  floated  up-stairs  and 
pervaded  the  rooms  with  its  distant  and  subdued 
strains.  The  location  of  this  band,  so  that  its 
music  could  reach  the  rooms  above  without  deafen 
ing  conversation,  was  a  happy  idea  of  Mrs.  Brown's. 
Back  of  the  dining-room  was  the  conservatory, 
which  was  quite  crowded  with  shrubs  and  small- 
sized  trees  from  the  tropics  and  other  climes;  in 
the  foliage  of  which  were  discovered  gilt  cages  con- 

o  o  o 

taining  sweet-voiced  singing  birds.  On  the  ground 
floor  in  a  spacious  room,  were  two  large  tables  for 
those  who  wished  10  sit  and  leisurely  enjoy  the 
repast ;  while  in  an  apartment  up-stairs  on  the 
second  floor,  was  prepared  a  collation  for  those 
who  merely  wished  a  hasty  plate  of  cream  or  salad, 
with  a  sip  of  wine.  There  was  a  large  and  fashion 
able  attendance;  though  the  rooms  were  never 
more  than  comfortably  tilled,  so  that  all  enjoyed 
themselves. 

Adele   was   ano-elic   in    her    loveliness.      With 

O 

admirable  appreciation  of  her  beauty,  her  mother 


MARRIAGE.  81 

dressed  her  very  simply  in  a  close  fitting,  though 
flowing  white  satin,  high  in  the  neck,  with  a  ruffle 
of  lace  confined  at  the  throat  by  a  diamond  cross. 
This  was  the  only  jewelry  she  wore.  The  sleeves 
were  long  and  quite  close.  Her  beautiful  blonde 
hair  was  dressed  as  usual  with  a  few  orange  blos 
soms  concealing  the  fastening  of  the  veil,  which 
fell  gracefully  one  side,  resting  slightly  on  the 
shoulders  ere  it  fell  aside  again. 

They  left  for  Washington  in  the  midnight  train 


82  A    BROWX    STOXE    FRONT. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


TIIE 

IN  Washington  they  were  the  guests  of  an  uncle 
of  Mr.  Dick's,  —  (on  his  mother's  side)  a  fine,  rosy- 
faced,  aged  gentleman  of  the  "old  school,"  who 
had  for  a  number  of  years  occupied  an  important 
position  in  one  of  the  departments  ;  so  long,  in 
fact,  had  he  been  in  his  department,  that  it  was 
believed  no  one  else  could  adequately  perform 
its  duties,  and  consequently  he  remained  in  office 
through  all  political  changes. 

Through  successful  speculation  he  had  made 
himself  independent,  and  lived  in  a  style  quite  be 
yond  his  salary  from  the  government. 


THE    HOXEYMOOX.  88 

They  were  of  course,  presented  at  the  White 
House.  Mr.  Dick  had  met  General  Grant  once 
while  he  was  on  a  visit  to  the  army  of  the  Potomac. 

A  member  of  the  cabinet  gave  a  reception  in 
their  honor,  and  they  passed  every  evening  in* 
society,  while,  during  the  day,  they  went  sight 
seeing,  visiting  the  Navy  Yard,  the  Patent  Office, 
the  Smithsonian  Institute,  the  Capital  building,  and 
the  Treasury  Department,  not  forgetting  Arling 
ton  Heights.  They  also  visited  that  admirable 
institution,  the  Jesuit's  College,  at  Georgetown. 

Both  were  quite  worn  out  with  excitement  and 
fatigue  before  the  expiration  of  the  fortnight,  and 
Avere  glad  to  return  to  New  York. 

They  arrived  in  Gotham  in  the  morning  and 
were  met  at  the  depot  by  their  own  carriage  ;  for 
a  stylish  turn-out  and  horses  were  purchased  at  tbe 
same  time  that  the  brown-stone  front  was  bought. 
[Mrs.  Brown.] 

The  mansion  on  Madison  avenue  had  been  magi 
cally  prepared  by  that  lady,  and  on  the  evening 
of  their  arrival  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  as 


84  A   BBOWN   STONE   FKOXT. 

their  guests,  they  dined  at  their  own  residence. 
Everything,  even  to  the  engaging  of  the  servants, 
had  been  attended  to  by  Mrs.  Brown. 

After  they  were  comfortably  settled  in  their  new 
domicile,  or  rather  after  they  had  recovered  from 
their  journey,  and  could  make  the  arrangements, 
they  gave  a  reception,  which,  under  Mrs.  Brown's 
supervision,  was  a  grand  success. 

The  frescoing  being   much  more  elaborate  than 

O  O 

in  her  own  house,  she  did  not  devise  the  same 
floral  display,  though  the  corners  and  niches 
bloomed  with  fragrant  flowers,  and  the  same  ad 
mirable  taste  regarding  the  disposition  of  the 
music  was  displayed,  only  here  the  bands  were 
entirely  concealed  from  view,  and  the  sweet  sounds 
filled  the  rooms  from  some  invisible  source. 

"  I  have  done  for  you  all  a  mother  can  do  for  a 
daughter,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  lingering  a  few 
moments  after  the  guests  had  departed.  "  It  is 
your  own  fault,  my  dear,  if  you  are  not  happy. 
You  have  all  that  heart  could  wish  for !  " 

Adele  made  no  reply,  though  why,  she  probably 


TilE    HONEYMOON.  85 

could  not  have  told.  There  was  somehow  a  void 
in  her  heart — in  her  happiness,  which  she  could 
not  have  explained  if  she  essayed  to  do  so. 
Emotions  are  not  always  definable. 


86  A   BKOWN   STONE   FRONT. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

DOMESTIC   INFELICITY. 

AFTER  this,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dick  were  out  almost 
every  night  until  Lent,  to  a  party  or  ball,  several 
being  given  in  their  honor. 

Now  Mr.  Dick  was  not  by  nature  fitted  for  a 
society  man ;  and  since  the  novelty  of  the  ex 
perience  had  worn  off,  he  had  begun  to  feel 
trammeled  by  its  exactions  in  the  way  of  social 
engagements  and  the  like. 

Adele,  as  a  girl,  had  enjoyed  dancing  and  the 
gayeties  of  the  ball-room  ;  but  with  the  change  of 
purpose  and  disposition  that  we  have  noted,  came 
a  spirit  of  resignation  and  passiveness  that  render 
ed  her  indifferent  to  almost  everything  that  she 
did  not  deem  her  duty — except,  indeed,  her 


DOMESTIC    INFELICITY.  87 

love  for  painting  and  reading ;  and  this  she  had 
not  been  able  to  indulge  to  any  extent  for  some 
months.  It  was  her  duty  now  to  love  her  husband, 
and  she  determined  to  do  so,  and  thought  she  did. 

Mr.  Dick,  before  he  was  married,  went  a  good 
deal  to  the  theatre ;  and  he  looked  forward  with 
eagerness  to  the  time  when  Lent  should  release 
him  from  social  engagements  and  afford  time  to  go 
to  the  public  places  of  amusement. 

His  wife,  however,  was  a  communicant  in  the 
Episcopal  church,  and  she  declined  to  go  to  the 
theatre  during  the  Lenten  season. 

He  did  not  care  so  much  for  her  company,  for 
he  had  been  her  escort  everywhere  since  their 
marriage,  as  well  as  for  some  months  before — 
several  years  it  appeared  to  him  now — but  he  did 
not  like  to  be  refused ;  and  angry  words  passed 
between  them  on  the  subject — for  he  offended 
Adele  and  she  replied  spiritedly. 

They  were  already  beginning  to  discover  how 
entirely  uusuited  they  were  to  each  other's  society 
— he  being  uneducated  and  unrefined,  caring  noth- 


88  A    BIIOWN    STOXE    FIIONT 

ing  for  the  pleasures  of  the  intellect  and  devoted 
to  the  excitement  of  the  world,  while  she  was 
quite  the  reverse ;  but  they  had  controlled  them 
selves  and  never  quarreled. 

Of  the  two,  Mr.  Dick  had  been  the  most 
fettered  by  the  marriage  bond;  he  had  yearned 
for  his  old  associates  and  haunts  and  had  only 
been  prevented  by  a  sense  of  fairness  towards  his 
wife,  from  "  cutting  "  society  and  returning  to  his 
boon  companions. 

He  was  incompetent  to  appreciate  his  wife's 
many  noble  qualities  of  head  and  heart,  and  her 
varied  accomplishments ;  and  consequently  soon 
lost  in  the  familiarity  of  constant  intercourse,  the 
pride  in  \vaiting  upon  her  which  he  had  experienced 
when  he  was  courting  her. 

Courtship  is  a  by-path  near  the  highway  of 
Life.  It  runs  through  romantic  depths  of  the 
forest,  down  into  dales  where  flowers  grow,  and 
all  is  enchanting ;  but  it  soon  returns  to  the  high 
way,  which  is  broad  and  full  of  ruts,  and  hard- 
travelling  to  a  great  many. 


HE    MUST   BE    MANAGED.  89 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HE    MUST   BE    MANAGED. 

ALMOST  unconsciously  a  coolness  sprang  up  between 
this  newly-made  but  ill-assorted  couple,  which 
did  not  escape  the  vigilant  eye  of  Mrs.  Brown. 

Ah !  if  Mrs.  Brown  could  always  have  been  by, 
I  venture  to  say  that  their  married  life  would  have 
been  as  pleasant  and  harmonious  as  their  courtship. 

But  Mrs.  Brown  did  not  believe  the  time  had 
come  for  her  to  say  anything ;  indeed,  she  was  not 
sure  that  such  a  time  would  ever  come ;  and  so 
she  kept  her  own  counsel,  not  even  telling  Mr. 
Brown. 

She  was  vigilant,  however.  She  learned  acci- 
dently  from  Adele's  maid,  (who  had  formerly  been 
in  her  employ)  that  Mr.  Dick  went  out  in  the 


90  A    BROWX    STOXE    FRONT. 

evening  by  himself,  and  often  remained  at  the 
club  to  dinner.  Mrs.  Brown's  eyes  informed  her 
that  he  no  longer  escorted  Adele  to  church  on 
Sunday. 

She  had  latterly  noticed,  too,  that  Adele  had 
grown  wan  and  looked  wretched.  She  perceived, 
also,  a  peevish  disposition  in  Mr.  Dick,  which  was 
surprising  in  one  who  had  before  manifested  such 
a  flow  of  animal  spirits. 

But  she  said  nothing  on  the  subject  to  her 
daughter;  if  there  was  any  serious  trouble,  it 
would  make  itself  known  in  time,  she  argued. 

Adele  was  silent  and  resigned. 

Days  passed,  and  they  were  still  as  formal  in 
their  intercourse  as  it  was  possible  for  man  and 
wife  to  be. 

Once  Adele  drove  down  and  passed  the  evening 
with  her  mother  and  father,  and  in  the  family 
circle  chatted  quite  gayly,  as  she  used  to  do  when 
at  home. 

Her  father  asked  where  her  husband  was  ? 

"  At  the  club,  I  believe,"  she  replied  calmly. 


HE    MUST   BE    MANAGED.  91 

Her  mother,  in  the  privacy  of  her  apartment, 
subsequently  asked  why  her  husband  was  not, 
with  her. 

"  He  did  not  know  I  was  coming  here ;  I  have 
not  seen  him  since  this  morning,"  Adele  added. 
"I  did  not  myself  know  that  I  was  coining  here 
till  a  few  moments  before  I  started ;  I  grew 
desperate  at  being  left  so  much  alone,  and  so 
rushed  down  here." 

Her  mother  could  not  restrain  the  curiosity 
which  had  troubled  her  for  some  days ;  and  she 
asked  and  obtained  an  explanation  from  her 
daughter. 

"  My  dear,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown,  "  I  have 
done  all  I  could  for  you  ;  I  have  provided  you 
with  a  husband  who  can  afford  you  all  the  luxuries 
that  wealth  can  purchase.  If  you  do  not  love  him 
after  you  thought  you  did,  it  is  not  my  fault. 

"  Mother  !"— 

The  mother  interrupted  her ;  she  did  not  pro 
pose  to  allow  Adele  a  word  in  self-justification. 

"  Any  man,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  "  can  be  governed 


92  A   BROWX    STONE    FRONT. 

if  he  is  studied  and  understood.  Why,  your 
father  was  just  as  arbitrary  and  self-willed  as  he 
could  be  when  I  married  him ;  but  I  studied  him 
and  soon  managed  him  !  " 

Adele  turned  away  and  put  on  her  things  pre 
paratory  to  leaving. 

I  will  think  over  this  matter,"  continued  Mrs. 
Brown.  "A  little  mutual  forbearance,  and  this 
trifle,  which  now  seems  momentous,  will  prove  as 
light  at  air  !  " 

As  she  left  she  expressed  a  wish  that  her 
brothers — who  were  absent  at  Yale  College — were 
at  home,  that  she  might  occasionally  claim  their 
services  as  escorts;  then  saying  good-night,  she 
left  to  return  home,  having  made  no  response  to 
her  mother's  last  remark. 

Mrs.  Brown,  after  proper  deliberation,  concluded 
that  a  good  way  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation 
between  Adele  and  her  husband  would  be  to  invite 
them  to  a  party.  She  felt  keenly  the  absence  of 
her  children,  and  had  sent  to  Philadelphia  for  two 
nieces,  the  daughters  of  a  widowed  sister  of  Mr. 


HE    MUST   BE    MANAGED.  93 

Brown,  promising  if  they  would  come  and  stay 
with  her,  that  she  would  give  this  party  in  their 
honor. 

Invitations  were  therefore  issued  for  a  large 
party,  shortly  after  Easter. 

On  the  evening  of  the  day  they  readied  Adele, 
Mr.  Dick  dined  at  home  for  the  first  time  in 
weeks. 

He  had,  unknown  to  Adele,  sent  word  to  his 
butler  that  he  should  bring  a  gentleman  home  to 
dine  with  him ;  and  an  admirable  dinner  was  pre 
pared,  to  Adele's  great  satisfaction. 

He  entertained  Seiior  Viva,  a  Spanish  gentle 
man  of  great  wealth,  who  had  recently  arrived 
from  Europe  with  letters  of  introduction  from  an 
esteemed  friend. 

After  dinner,  Adele  told  her  husband  of  the  in 
vitation,  or  rather  he  found  it  on  the  mantel-piece, 
where  she  had  carelessly  tossed  it. 

He  glanced  at  the  date  and  declared  he  could 
not  attend,  as  he  had  an  engagement. 

"  Seiior  \riva,  whom  I  shall  in  the  meantime  in- 


94  A    BUOWX    STONE    FRONT. 

troduce  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown,  will  perhaps  be 
kind  enough  to  escort  you,"  he  said. 

Seiior  Viva  would,  of  course,  be  delighted  to 
be  madam's  escort. 

Mr.  Dick  was  a  man  of  impulse  as  I  have  pre 
viously  intimated,  and  acted  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment ;  so,  later  in  the  evening,  he  invited  Signor 
Viva  to  call  with  him  upon  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown. 

Mrs.  Brown  soon  found  an  opportunity  (private 
ly,  of  course,)  to  "  lecture  him,"  as  she  said  ;  and 
she  expatiated  on  her  daughter's  grievances  (oh  ! 
how  mortified  Adele  would  have  been  if  she  had 
overheard  her  !)  in  consequence  of  his  cruel  neglect 
of  her. 

Mr.  Dick  heard  her  through  without  wincing  or 
interruption.  When  she  had  finished  speaking, 
he  with  deliberation  and  emphasis,  replied : 

"  Courtship  and  married  life  are  as  different  as 
holiday  and  work-day.  Courtship  is  a  playtime 
before  the  real,  matter-of-fact  life  entered  upon 
after  marriage.  It  is  supposed  both  parties  to  the 
contract  have  got  over  their  torn-foolery  by  the 


HE    MUST   BE    MANAGED.  95 

time  they  are  married ;  and  they  lead  the  life  ex 
perience  satisfies  them  is  the  most  congenial.  Now 
I  do  not  seek  to  govern  Adele,  and  she  must  not 
seek  to  govern  me;  for  she  cannot.  I  will  give 
her  everything  she  wants,  but  she  must  not  expect 
me  to  sacrifice  my  pleasures  to  her  whims ! " 

"  But  she  has  a  right  to  regard  you  as  her  pro 
tector  and  escort,"  interposed  the  mother. 

"  I  will  take  her  out  anywhere  whenever  she 
asks  me,  if  I  have  no  previous  engagement.  But 
this  time  I  am  promised  elsewhere  ! " 

"  That  is  a  point  gained,"  Mrs.  Brown  mentally 
commented;  and  she  passed  on  to  another  subject. 


96  A    BROWX    STONE    FRONT. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

A.K    UNDERSTANDING. 

MR.  DICK  was  an  intensely  selfish  man,  but  lie  was 
not  bad-hearted.  He  still  loved  Adele,  but  not 
with  the  same  ardor  as  at  first ;  it  was  not  in  his 
impulsive  nature  to  remain  long  enthusiastic  about 
anything.  He  still  loved  her,  though  in  his  own 
,way,  and  respected  her  as  his  wife. 

After  breakfast  the  next  morning,  he  strolled 
into  the  parlor;  but  whether  to  read  the  II '.raid 
which  he  carried  in  his  hand,  or  to  take  an  inven 
tory  of  the  furniture,  Adele  could  not  decide  ;  he 
left  her  so  unceremoniously  at  the  table. 


AX    UNDERSTANDING.  97 

"  Adele,"  he  called  after  a  moment,  "  won't  you 
play  something  for  me  ?  " 

"  With  pleasure,"  she  said,  entering  the  parlors 
from  the  breakfast  room,  which  was  upon  the  same 
floor.  She  seated  herself  at  the  piano  with  a 
brighter  face  than  she  had  worn  for  days,  and  with 
some  of  her  wonted  grace  and  elasticity.  "  What 
shall  I  play  for  you  ?  "  she  added,  tossing  over  the 
music  upon  the  racks. 

"  Oh,  anything,"  he  answered  pleasantly,  settling 
himself  comfortably  upon  the  sofa. 

Any  one  not  as  dull  of  comprehension  as  Mr. 
Dick,  would  have  seen  she  was  in  a  mood  for  a 
reconciliation,  and  was  not  disposed  to  exact  any 
more  than  the  proper  respect  and  courtesy  due  a 
wife  and  a  lady. 

She  played  and  sang  with  spirit  and  taste,  several 
pleasant  songs  which  she  had  recently  added  to  her 
repertoire.  Happening  to  look  around  at  him,  she 
discovered  him  intently  reading  the  Herald.  She 
stopped  abruptly,  rose,  and  left  the  piano  with  a 
mortified,  injured  air. 


98  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

"  Thank  you !  thank  you  !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  then 
tossing  the  paper  aside,  he  continued :  "  look  here 
Adele,  it  is  as  well  we  should  understand  each 
other !  I  had  a  talk  last  night  with  your  mother," 
— this  with  a  significant  look  which  she  thought 
she  understood.  She  turned  and  approached  him, 
once  more  looking  wan  and  hopeless.  He  motioned 
her  to  a  chair  which  she  took  mechanically. 

Mr.  Dick  then  spoke  substantially  as  he  had 
spoken  the  night  before  to  her  mother. 

His  wife  did  not  deign  to  reply. 

He  rose  when  he  finished  speaking  and  left,  say 
ing  he  should  dine  at  the  club. 

"  Good  morning,"  said  Adele. 

"  Good  morning,"  her  husband  responded  gruffly. 

When  out  on  the  pavement  he  said  mentally, 
"  I  wish  she  woiild  speak  !  She  sat  and  stared  at 
me  as  if  I  was  making  a  show  of  myself !  " 

Within,  the  young  wife  was  weeping. 

A  few  days  before  the  party  at  her  mother's  wag 
to  take  place,  Mr.  Dick  said  to  Adele : 


AX    UXDEUSTAXDIXG.  99 

"You  will  go  to  your  mother's  with  Signer 
Viva  as  I  have  engaged. 

"  Xo;  I  will  not,"  she  replied  firmly. 

"  Why  ?  " 

"Because  I  have  too  much  self-respect,"  she 
responded. 

"  I  have  an  engagement  that  evening,  but  I  will 
take  you  to  the  party,  and  come  for  you — will  that 
do  ?  "  he  inquired. 

"  Yes,"  she  replied  ;  and  so  she  went  to  the 
party  which  she  had  determined  not  to  attend,  if 
she  had  to  accept  the  escort  of  Senor  Viva. 

The  two  nieces,  the  Misses  Stephens,  in  whose 
honor  the  party  was  given,  made  a  very  favorable 
impression.  They  were  petite,  bright-eyed,  rosy- 
cheeked,  plump  brunettes,  with  untiring  vivacity. 
Adele  had  made  their  acquaintance  several  days 
before ;  but  Mr.  Dick  now  met  them  for  the  first 
time,  and  was  so  pleased  with  "his  cousins"  that 
he  remained  the  whole  evening,  forgetting  all  about 
his  engagement. 

Adele  favored  Senor  Viva  with  her  company  be- 


100  A   BROWN    STOXE    FBOXT. 

cause  he  sought  it.  She  was  agreeably  disappoint 
ed  in  him,  having  conceived  a  dislike  to  him  at 
their  first  meeting  for  which  she  could  scarcely 
account  upon  further  acquaintance.  He  had 
travelled  far  and  wide,  spoke  several  languages, 
and  was  a  highly  educated  and  refined  gentleman, 
with  remarkable  conversational  powers.  She  con 
sequently  found  him.  a  thoroughly  agreeable  com 
panion,  and  the  evening  was  one  of  the  pleasantest 
she  had  passed  in  some  time. 


SKNOB   VIVA.  101 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SEXOE   VIVA. 

A  FEW  evenings  after  the  occasion  mentioned  in 
the  preceding  chapter,  Senor  Viva  called  on  Mrs. 
Dick  ;  Mr.  Dick  was  out,  of  course ;  as  usual,  he 
had  not  been  home  even  to  dine.  Senor  Viva 
proved  himself  to  be  an  accomplished  musician  and 
violinist ;  he  played  on  the  piano  and  guitar,  and 
sang  in  several  languages.  His  knowledge  of 
music  seemed  to  be  as  extensive  as  his  reading, 
and  he  sung  with  Adele  several  duetts  from  favorite 
operas.  In  the  course  of  conversation,  he  modestly 
mentioned  some  little  attempts  he  had  made  in  an 
artis  ticline,  which  he  hoped  to  have  an  opportunity 


102  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

some  day  to  display.  Xo  one,  to  look  at  Senor 
Viva,  would  imagine  him  to  be  so  accomplished. 
In  stature  he  was  short  and  slight.  His  complexion 
was  very  swarthy  and  his  features  small  and  con 
tracted,  especially  the  eyes.  His  hair  was  cut 
rather  close,  pushed  back  over  the  forehead,  and 
not  parted.  A  perturbed,  restless  spirit,  had  this 
curious  looking  little  man  ;  who  was  given  to  facial 
expression  and  gesture  in  conversation. 

Adele  informed  her  liege  lord  of  Senor  Viva's 
visit. 

"  Well,  I  hope  you  made  his  call  pleasant,"  he 
said.  "  He  is  one  of  your  kind,  given  to  music, 
painting,  and  reading ;  and  as  he  is  not  company 
for  me,  I  wish  you  would  take  him  off  my  hands." 

Adele  refrained  from  pointing  out  to  him  the 
impropriety  of  receiving  Senor  Viva's  visits  as  he 
desired,  not  because  he  did  not  fully  recognize  the 
fact,  but  because  she  well  knew  he  would  not 
appreciate  it.  But  she  expressed  a  desire  that  he 
would  afford  her  more  of  his  society ;  and  several 
times  thereafter  when  the  accomplished  Senor 


SEXOB   VIVA.  103 

called,  her  husband  was  also  at  home  to  receive 
him. 

Senor  Viva  said  he  had  visited  New  York  with 
the  intention  of  remaining  only  a  few  weeks,  and 
then  going  south ;  but  he  liked  the  city  and  had 
been  so  Avell  received,  that  he  had  concluded  to 
remain  during  the  Winter.  He  was  a  gentleman 
of  leisure  and  wealth,  untrammeled  by  business  and 
in  receipt  of  a  large  income  from  estates  in  Spain. 
Still,  though  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  receive 
him,  Adele  did  not  encourage  the  intimacy  with 
him  that  her  thoughtless,  imprudent  husband  was 
endeavoring  to  establish.  Men  of  Senor  Viva's 
stamp  make  themselves  just  as  agreeable  to  gen 
tlemen  as  to  the  fair  sex ;  at  the  club  he  played 
whist  and  poker  with  Mr.  Dick,  soon  convinced 
him  he  knew  what  he  was  talking  about  when  the 
the  subject  of  horses  and  yachts  was  under  dis 
cussion,  and  in  many  ways  proved  himself  to  be 
"a  jolly  good  fellow."  Mr.  Dick  took  a  great 
fancy  to  him,  and  with  a  magnanimity  characteristic 
of  his  temperament,  declared  he  must  regard  his 


104  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

house  as  a  brother's,  and  make  himself  at  home  there. 
Senor  Viva  enjoyed  Adele's  society  very  much, 

and  they  were  much  together. 
******* 

One  morning,  Mr.  Dick  said  to  Adele  that  the 
coachman  complained  she  drove  out  so  seldom  that 
the  horses  were  becoming  unmanageable. 

"  Why  have  you  discontinued  your  afternoon 
drive  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Because  somehow  it  no  longer  possesses  an 
interest  for  me,"  she  replied.  "  It  is  always  so 
lonesome ! "  She  added,  after  a  pause,  "  Lucy 
Stephens  will  return  to  mother's  next  week,  and 
then  she  will  go  with  me." 

lie  was  silent  for  a  few  moments. 

"I  have  an  idea! "he  exclaimed.  "Why  not 
prevail  on  Lucy  Stephens  to  stay  here  ?  She  will 
be  company  for  you  !" 

Adele  was  pleased  with  the  idea,  and  said  that 
she  would  see  Lucy  and  get  her  to  come  down 
and  stop  with  them. 


105 

Miss  Lucy  Stephens,  the  gayest  and  most  viva 
cious  of  the  two  sisters,  left  Mrs.  Brown's  and  came 
to  Adele.  She  proved  company  for  Mr.  Dick  as 
well  as  Adele  ;  for  the  latter  became  merry  in  untir 
ing  conversation  with  her  whenever  she  was  in  the 
house.  But  Adele  did  not  mind  Mr.  Dick's  atten 
tions  to  Lucy  Stephens.  As  long  as  Lucy  was 
with  her,  there  would  be,  under  the  circumstances, 
no  impropriety  in  her  receiving  the  visits  of  Senor 
Viva,  which  now  became  more  frequent. 

Lucy  was  a  good  musician  and  vocalist,  and  she, 
too,  enjoyed  his  society.  Instead  of  duetts  they 
now  sang  trios.  Wishing  to  have  Lucy  always 
by  her  whenever  Senor  Viva  was  in  attendance,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  a  scandal,  Adele 
persuaded  her  cousin  to  learn  drawing;  and  while 
Adele  and  the  Senor  sketched  or  painted  in  the 
studio  over  the  hall,  she  was  also  there  similarly 
engaged.  Adele  now  resumed  her  afternoon  rides; 
and  after  a  while  Senor  Viva  was  invited  to  join 
them.  lie  would  take  his  sketch-book,  and  the 
carriage  would  be  stopped  while  he  made  sketches 


106  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

of  picturesque  scenes  in  the  park,  or  of  the  admira 
ble  views  to  be  obtained  from  higher  grounds 
of  the  Hudson  or  the  Sound.  The  blank  bristol 
board  soon  became  instinct  with  life  under  hi^ 
magic  pencil.  There  are  many  beautiful  lands 
cape  bits  to  be  found  in  the  park,  many  charmin; 
woodland  vistas  and  intervals  of  lawn.  Thus  there 
was  some  pleasure — not  stern  duty  all  the  time — 
for  Adele.  Don't  shake  your  heads,  shrug  youi 
shoulders,  or  elevate  your  eyebrows,  my  dear 
reader.  The  coolness  which  had  once  existed  be 
tween  Adele  and  her  husband  had  passed  away, 
and  there  now  prevailed  a  good-natured  feeling, 
based  on  a  thorough  confidence  in  each  other,  and 
an  understanding  none  the  less  definite  because 
never  defined,  that  each  was  to  enjoy  life  in  thei  •• 
own  way — Adele  with  her  drawing  and  music,  and 
Mr.  Dick,  at  the  club. 


TIME   FLIES.  107 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

TIME    FLIES. 

WHEN  the  time  came  for  them  to  be  thinking 
about  a  retreat  for  the  Summer,  Mrs.  Brown,  who 
felicitated  herself  that  matters  had  righted  them 
selves  in  the  Dick  household,  moved  that  they  all 
go  to  New  London  for  the  season.  They  had  been 
so  often  to  Saratoga,  the  Lakes,  and  Cape  May, 
that  these  watering-places  had  lost  their  attrac 
tions.  Long  Branch  was  too  near  the  city,  and 
was  becoming  too  frequented.  They  had  explored 
the  White  Mountains  season  before  last.  The 
pleasures  of  Newport,  too,  had  been  exhausted; 
New  London  seemed  the  only  alternative.  A 


108  A    BKOWX    STOXE    FRONT. 

cottage  had  been  erected  on  one  of  the  delightful 
drives  leading  shoreward  from  the  town,  which 
Mr.  Brown  contemplated  purchasing,  but  would 
like  to  occupy  experimentally  a  season  before 
deciding  to  do  so.  This  was  agreeable  to  Adele, 
who  had  no  desire  to  participate  as  in  previous 
years,  in  the  gayeties  of  the  more  frequented,  if 
not  more  fashionable,  summer  retreat.  It  was  even 
more  agreeable  to  her  husband,  and  this  decided 
her  at  once.  It  was,  in  fact,  just  what  Mr.  Dick 
intended  proposing  himself;  either  Newport  or 
New  London.  He  had  purchased  a  yacht,  and 
joined  a  club,  and  intended  to  pass  the  summer 
cruising  about ;  and  New  London  was  a  good 
port.  The  cottage  was  taken  and  prepared  for 
occupancy  by  Mrs.  Brown,  by  the  middle  of  June. 
It  was  an  unpretentious  and  comfortable  frame 
building,  situated  on  a  slight  eminence,  and  com 
manding  from  the  front  piazza  an  admirable  view 
of  the  bay  and  outlying  sea,  and  from  the  other 
side,  a  fine  stretch  of  landscape  with  the  town  in 
the  distance  and  Groton  beyond. 


TIME    FLIES.  109 

As  long  as  her  husband  was  satisfied,  so  was 
Adele ;  and  with  his  new  toy,  Mr.  Dick  was 
thoroughly  contented  and  as  happy  as  a  child  that 
had  yet  to  learn  that  this  is  a  world  of  turmoil  and 
sorrow.  He  retained  the  sailing-master  and  crew 
that  had  been  engaged  on  the  yacht  by  the  former 
Dwner,  and  they  were,  of  course,  familiar  with 
these  waters.  An  anchorage  was  selected  for  the 
yacht  in  the  bay,  in  sight  of  the  cottage ;  and 
when  at  the  cottage  Mr.  Dick  was  constantly 
making  a  discovery  of  new  beauties  in  her,  and 
the  nautical  lore  he  displayed  on  these  occasions 
astonished  the  ladies,  and  would  have  made  the 
sailing-master  laugh  outright !  It  was  a  beautiful 
craft  that  sat  in  the  water  with  the  graceful  repose 
of  a  swan.  It  was  a  scooner  yacht  with  cabin 
accommodations  for  six,  and  was  fitted  up  regally 
in  all  respects.  Adele  delighted  her  husband  by 
working  a  beautiful  silk  private  ship's  flag  for  him. 
But  Adele  was  unfortunately  very  timorous  on  the 
water,  and  did  not  enjoy  a  sail  in  the  least,  except 
ing,  indeed,  when  there  was  so  little  wind  that  thr 


110  A    BROWX    STONE    FKONT. 

craft  lazily  floated  along  with  the  tide,  and  then 
Mr.  Dick  was  restive  and  impatient,  and  declared 
the  whole  thing  a  bore.  He  sighed  for  a  high 
,  wind  to  send  the  yacht  scudding  through  the 
water  at  I  do  not  know  exactly  how  many  knots 
an  hour.  Mrs.  Brown  shared  her  daughter's  dis 
trust  of  nautical  adventures ;  and  after  a  while  the 
ladies  were  not  included  in  the  hospitalities  of  the 
yacht,  except  on  some  occasions  when  a  party  was 
made  up  for  a  quiet  sail  in  the  Sound,  around  the 
lightships,  and  thence  to  Stonington  and  back. 

Mr.  Dick  knew  very  little  about  sailing  the 
yacht,  unlike  several  of  the  captains  of  the  fleet, 
but  his  sailing  master  succeeded  in  making  him 
believe  he  did,  and  he  found  gi-eat  pride  in  giving 
orders  in  stentorian  tones  to  that  worthy,  which 
lie  followed  or  not,  as  the  whim  suited,  finding  it 
easy  to  disobey  them  under  the  plea  of  "wind 
shifting,"  "  squall  expected,"  and  so  on. 

Mr.  Dick  became  so  infatuated  with  this  life,  that 
he  passed  most  of  his  time  on  ship  board.  lie  had 
some  fine  sport  shark-fishing  oft*  Block  Island. 


TIME    FLIES.  Ill 

Like  the  king  and  his  men,  he  sailed  to  Newport 
and  back,  and  he  sailed  to  New  York  and  back. 
He  was  in  his  glory  when  he  came  ashore  in  his 
dino;y  and  then  departed  with  much  ceremony, 
taking  his  seat  in  the  helm,  and  ordering  "  let  fall," 
"give  way,"  with  the  tiller  lines  in  hand.  He 
always  had  a  jolly  party  on  board,  and  had  a  good 
time. 

Senor  Viva  was  frequently  his  guest ;  and  when 
he  was  not  with  him  on  the  yacht,  he  was  at  the 
Pequot  House,  and  a  welcome  visitor  at  the  cot 
tage,  so  that  his  intimacy  with  the  family  con 
tinued.  He  had  succeeded  in  completely  ingratiat 
ing  himself  into  the  favor  of  Mrs.  Brown,  who 
thought  it  possible  to  make  a  match  between  him 
Miss  Stephens. 

Mr.  Dick  sailed  his  yacht  in  two  regattas,  and 
accompanied  the  club  on  its  annual  cruise ;  but  he 
did  not  distinguish  himself,  much  to  his  chagrin. 
On  the  whole,  however,  he  passed  a  very  delight 
ful  Summer,  and  was  sorry  when  the  season  was 
over.  A  new  joy  awaited  him,  however,  in  the 


112  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

city ;  his  agent  had  obtained  for  him  in  Vermont 
a  pair  of  very  fleet  young  thoroughbred  trotters, 
and  he  anticipated  great  pleasure  in  speeding  and 
displaying  them  on  the  Harlem  Lane.  It  is  need 
less  to  say  that  Adele  did  not  participate  in  this 
pleasure ;  nor,  indeed,  was  she  invited.  She  would 
have  been  as  afraid  of  being  smashed  up  by  his 
fast  driving,  as  capsized  into  the  ocean  by  sailing 
before  the  wind  with  the  yacht  dipping  to  the 
water's  edge. 


SCANDAL.  113 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

SCANDAL. 

THERE  are  many  persons  who  talk  merely  to  hear 
themselves  speak.  They  never  think,  but  talk, 
talk,  talk.  "Words,  words,  words,"  as  Hamlet 
says. 

Such  chatterers  delight  in  scandal ;  for  to  talk 
scandal  no  thought  is  required.  They  are  always 
on  the  qui  vive  for  a  subject. 

None  but  such  as  these  heartless,  bi'ainless  gos- 
Tiipers,  would  have  involved  such  a  guileless  woman 
as  Adele  in  a  scandal. 

At  first  her  name  was  coupled  with  Senor  Viva's. 

Senor  Viva  had  decided  to  pass  another  winter 


114  A    BKOWX    STOXE    FIIOXT. 

in  New  York ;  and  of  course  his  intimacy  with 
the  Dick's  and  the  Brown's  was  continued.  In  the 
same  social  circle  they  constantly  met  in  the  same 
round  of  parties.  Mr.  Dick,  who  wished  to  stand 
well  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  escorted  Adele:  but 
he  was  glad  to  place  her  in  charge  of  Senor  Viva, 
as  soon  as  he  could  with  decency  retreat  to  the 
smoking-room. 

Adding  the  perceptible  fact  that  Adele  was 
always  glad  to  take  Senor  Viva's  arm  on  these 
occasions,  to  that  previously  discovered  that  the 
Senor  was  frequently  seen  riding  with  her,  and 
was  a  constant  visitor  at  the  residence,'  the 
gossips  had  materials  for  a  first-rate  scandal. 

A  proper  regard  for  the  truth  compels  me  to 
state  that  the  scandal  commenced  with  the  ladies. 

Dutiful  wives  whispered  the  story  to  their  hus 
bands;  these  repeated  it  at  the  clubs,  and  soon  it 
became  common  talk  in  the  circles  in  which  the 
respective  parties  moved. 

The  story  was  industriously  circulated  by  the 
Social  Foxes,  who  are  too  sly  in  their  movements 


SCANDAL.  115 

to  be  discovered  in  their  crimes,  and  who  from 
principle  (?)  always  fall  foul  of  the  Social 
Geese,  who  in  their  innocence  repeat  everything 
they  hear.  Your  chatty,  vivacious  woman  of 
society  is  condemned  when  she  is  entirely  inno 
cent  nine  times  out  of  ten ;  while  the  quiet,  schem 
ing  woman,  who  is  so  particular,  escapes  observa 
tion. 

Of  course  the  principals  were  the  last  to  hear  of 
the  scandal,  but  of  these  Mr.  Dick  was  the  first  to 
be  enlightened. 

He  was  sitting  at  the  club  one  morning  drinking 
brandy  and  water,  when  a  young  member,  slightly 
intoxicated  joined  him,  and  began  to  joke  him  on 
the  subject. 

At  first  Mr.  Dick  could  not  imagine  what  the 
fellow  was  aiming  at. 

He  asked  an  explanation :  and  the  fellow  told 
all  he  knew. 

Did  Mr.  Dick  knock  him  down  as  he  should 
have  done? 

No ;  though  he  would  doubtless  have  done  so,  if 


116  A    BBOWX    STOXE    FKONT. 

any  one  had  overheard  the  recita.l  But  his  lower 
nature  gained  the  ascendency ;  he  allowed  himself 
to  become  suspicious,  and  the  youth  confidential. 

He  drew  his  chair  closer  to  the  youthful  Bac 
chanal,  and  heard  the  story  a  second  time. 

Then  he  laughed  at  it,  but  his  laugh  was  forced, 
hollow  and  weak. 

He  lit  a  cigar  and  took  a  walk. 

"Was  it  possible  his  wife  had  been  untrue  to  him  ? 
No,  he  could  not  think  that  of  her!  She  had 
probably  been  indiscreet  in  her  conduct  towards 
Senor  Viva ;  that  was  all.  His  better  nature 
triumphed  over  his  lower,  and  he  regretted  he  had 
not  knocked  the  young  man  down. 

But  the  demon,  suspicion,  is  remorseless ;  and  it 
had  gained  his  ear,  and  was  not  croin<?  to  let  him 

O  '  O  O 

oft'  so  easily. 

Senor  Viva — he  had  not  seen  him  for  some  days  ; 
whereas  formerly  he  called  onkhim  at  the  club  two 
or  three  times  a  week.  Why  did  he  now  avoid 
him  ? 

His  wife  had  appeared  for  some  time  past  more 


SCANDAL.  11"? 

contented  and  happy  than  at  first.  At  first  she 
always  informed  him  of  Senor  Viva's  visits ;  for 
some  time  past  she  had  ceased  to  do  so.  He  dis 
covered  now  the  fact  that  his  wife  and  the  Senor 
always  seemed  to  understand  each  other  when  they 
met.  He  had  thought  her  contrary  in  her  disposi 
tion;  he  admitted  to  himself  he  hud  been  dis 
appointed  in  her;  but  never  until  now  had  he 
supposed  her  capable  of  sinning. 

His  first  impulse  Avas  to  see  Mrs.  Brown ;  but 
no,  the  mother  would,  of  course  defend  the 
daughter. 

His  confidant  and  chum  was  away  on  a  shooting 
tramp. 

He  left  the  club  for  a  stroll,  and  met  Lucy 
Stephens;  although  young,  she  was  sensible;  he 
would  consult  her. 

He  broached  the  subject  with  a  delicacy  and  tact, 
that  was  surprising  in  him;  and  briefly  stated  what 
he  had  heard,  without  expressing  his  suspicion. 

Lucy  was  indignant  at  the  slander ;  she  ably 
defended  her  cousin,  whom  she  eloquently  eulogized. 


118  A    BUOWX    STONE    FRONT. 

Mr.  Dick,  before  speaking,  had  made  her  promise 
"  secrecy ; "  but  if  he  had  not,  she  would  not  insult 
Adele  by  broaching  the  subject  to  her. 

Mr.  Dick,  after  admitting  that  he  had  requested 
Adele  to  always  welcome  Scnor  Viva  to  the  house, 
and  confessing  that  he  believed  the  story  an  out 
rageous  slander,  abruptly  hailed  a  stage  and  went 
back  to  his  club. 

He  endeavored  to  be  satisfied  by  Lucy's  assur 
ances  ;  but  still  the  demon  of  suspicion  would  not 
let  him  alone.  Add  to  this  the  consciousness  that 
he  had  been  indiscreet  with  his  wife,  and  he  be 
came  wretchedly  miserable. 

Several  young  gentlemen  in  the  salon  of  the 
club,  were  evidently  discussing  the  scandal;  for 
they  appeared  disconcerted  when  he  entered.  He 
felt  the  hot  blood  mantle  his  face  and  brow,  and 
for  a  moment,  his  head  was  dizzy. 

"Women,  like  doctors,  hang  together,"  he  ex 
claimed.  "  Of  course,  Lucy  defends  her  cousin  !  " 

That  night  he  dined  at  home,  and  remained  in  a 
greater  part  of  the  evening.  He  made  allusions  to 


30A.NDAL.  119 

Senor  Viva  that  caused,  his  wife  to  praise  that 
gentleman.  This  was  fuel  to  the  flame  that  was 
consuming  him. 

The  next  day  he  consulted  his  lawyer,  who  was 
also  a  social  friend.  His  lawyer  had  heard  the 
story ;  he  laughed  at  it,  and  urged  Mr.  Dick  not 
to  sue  for  a  divorce,  as  in  his  opinion  he  could  not 
obtain  one.  If  he  wanted  a  separation,  that  could 
be  arranged  privately,  without  going  into  the 
courts. 

"  But  the  scandal,"  said  his  client. 

"  Will  be  forgotten  in  the  next  excitement,"  re 
plied  the  lawyer. 

Mr.  Dick  decided  to  confer  with  Mrs.  Brown. 


120  A   BBOWN   STOXE   FRONT. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

q 

MRS.    BROWN   TO    THE    RESCUE. 

MRS.  BROWN  heard  him  through  with  a  patience 
that  aggravated  him.  He  was  agitated  and  heated  ; 
she  was  calm  and  cool,  as  if  the  matter  under 
deliberation  were  no  more  important  than  a  picnic. 

"You  do  not  believe  this  base  slander?  "she 
asked,  when  lie  had  told  his  story,  in  a  jerky,  in 
coherent  way. 

"  No,"  he  faltered  in  reply. 

"  I  hope  you  have  too  much  confidence  in  Adelo 
to  believe  it  for  a  moment,"  she  said. 

"  1  have,"  he  involuntarily  replied. 


MItS.    BKOWN   TO    THE    RESCUE.  121 

"  It  is  a  serious  mutter,"  she  continued,  "  but  it 
can  be  righted." 

He  expressed  surprise — not,  however,  at  the 
story,  but  that  she  had  not  heard  it  before.  She 
did  not  think  it  worth  a  moments'  bother;  still 
something  must  be  done. 

"That's  so!"  he  exclaimed,  to  a  remark  which 
Mrs.  Brown  made  to  this  effect ;  "  and  that  is  what 
bothers  me.  In  justice  to  myself  I  must  take  some 
notice  of  it.  I  am  sorry  I  did  not  knock  the  fellow 
down  at  the  club." 

"  I  am  very  glad  you  did  not,"  she  interposed. 
"You  would  have  made  a  scene  that  would  have 
got  into  the  papers,  and  then  matters  would  be 
beyond  control.  Besides  in  all  probability  you 
would  have  been  expelled  from  the  club ;  and  that 
would  add  to  your  troubles." 

"  Still  something  must  be  done,"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Dick,  who  evidently  thought  he  must  knock  some 
body  down  to  avenge  his  honor. 

"Of  course,"  responded  Mrs.  Brown.  "But  do 
not  be  rash  or  hasty." 


122  A   BROWN   STONE    FRONT. 

"I  do  not  intend  to,"  he  replied.  "I  came  to 
you  for  advice  ;  for  if  I  had  followed  the  prompt 
ings  of  my  own  mind,  I  am  not  sure  but  that  I 
should  have  gone  and  thrashed  the  old  fool." 

"That  would  have  been  very  ungentlemanly," 
said  Mrs.  Brown,  reprovingly. 

"  But  I  must  do  something,"  reiterated  Mr. 
Dick. 

"  Let  me  see,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  meditatively. 
"You  have  not  spoken  to  Adele  about  this  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  That  is  fortnnate.     Leave  that  to  me." 

"  That  I  will !  " 

"It  is  probable  also  that  Senor  Viva  has  not 
heard  of  the  scandal  either,"  resumed  Mrs.  Brown, 
musingly. 

"  I  have  not  seen  him  for  several  days,"  inter 
posed  Mr.  Dick.  "  Whether  he  has  purposely  kept 
out  of  my  Avay  or  not  I  can  not  say." 

"  There  you  go  again,  blaming  without  cause," 
Mrs.  Brown  exclaimed.  "  If  you  allow  yourself  to 
get  into  this  train  of  thought,  you  will  soon  learn 


MRS.    BROWN   TO   THE    RESCUE.  123 

to  believe  in  the  scandal.  It  is  always  the  way 
with  you  men;  you  jump  at  conclusions;  you 
don't  arrive  at  them  by  careful  examination  of  the 
facts.  If  you  men  had  to  make  a  dress  you  would 
spoil  it  through  your  impatience  in  having  to 
match  the  various  parts.  Their  careful  considera 
tion  of  minute  detail  is  the  reason  why  women 
make  such  good  schemers." 

"  1  believe  that  half  the  schemes  in  the  world — 
especially  the  devilish  ones — are  originated  by 
women  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Dick. 

"The  scheming  that  women  sometimes  have  to 
do  to  make  both  ends  meet  in  the  management  of 
their  household,  affords  them  scope  enough  for  the 
exercise  of  their  talent,"  said  Mrs.  Brown,  sharply. 

"  In  order  that  they  may  save  more  to  spend  on 
their  dresses  !  "  replied  Mr.  Dick,  sneeringly,  though 
without  intending  to  be  cutting,  as,  holding  his 
mother-in-law  in  much  esteem,  he  would  not  have 
intentionally  offended  her. 

"  Come,  if  you  are  going  to  talk  this  way,  I  will 
not  listen  to  you,"  said  Mrs.  Brown. 


124  A    IJKOAVX    STOXE    FROXT. 

"  Well,  you  are  responsible  for  the  digression. 
What  do  you  advise  me  to  do  as  regards  the 
Senor  ?  "  said  Mr.  Dick. 

"  You  are  responsible  for  this  slander ;  you  know 
you  indiscreetly  thrust  Adele  continually  into  the 
Senor's  society. 

"But  that  is  past;  that  is  not  the  point." 

"It  is  an  important  fact,  nevertheless,  in  the 
case.  But  do  not  interrupt  me.  Now,  since  you 
have  brought  this  scandal  upon  yourself, — and 
that  you  have  done  so  you  need  not  deny, — do  you 
think  it  would  be  manly  in  you  to  challenge  the 
Senor,  perhaps  kill  him,  for  doing  that  which  you 
asked  him  to  do — show  some  attentions  to  your 
wife  :  or  in  other  words,  relieve  you  of  that  onerous 
duty  ?  I  say  it  is  you  own  fault  that  this  scandal 
has  arisen." 

"I  wish  I  had  called  the  Senor  to  account,  and 
thus  settled  the  matter  without  consulting  you. 
I  did  not  suppose  you  would  go  on  this  way,"  ex 
claimed  Mr.  Dick,  rising  and  pacing  the  room. 


MRS.    BKOWX   TO   THE    RESCUE.  125 

"You  are  dodging  the  question!  Something 
must  be  done,  and  that  quickly,  too." 

Mrs.  Brown  perceived  that  he  was  not  in  a  mood 
for  an  argument,  and  that  it  needed  little  to  excite 
him  to  some  rash  act ;  and  after  a  moment's  hesita 
tion,  she  said : 

""Will  you  leave  the  matter  to  me  until — say 
to-morrow  evening  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied  sullenly. 

"  And  you  promise  to  govern  yourself  and  not 
be  led  into  any  rash  act  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  in  a  better  humor. 

Shortly  after  he  withdrew. 

Alone  with  her  thoughts,  Mrs.  Brown  devoted 
herself  to  a  consideration  of  the  ticklish  subject. 
She  did  not  feel  altogether  equal  to  the  emergency. 

"  It  is  no  use  consulting  Brown,"  she  soliloquized. 
"  Men  always  lose  their  minds  in  these  matters,  and 
think  that  nothing  but  a  duel  can  settle  the  affair. 

The  innocent  cause  of  the  scandal,  Senor  Viva, 
would  probably  be  the  most  surprised  of  all  when 
he  heard  it;  and  regretful,  too,  for  he  was  a  per- 


126  A    BROWN   STONE   FRONT. 

feet  gentleman,  with  a  keen  sense  of  honor.  The 
idea  of  conferring  with  him  occurred  to  Mrs. 
Brown,  and  the  more  she  thonght  over  it  the  more 
was  she  pleased. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon ;  time  enough  for  a 
letter  to  reach  the  Senor  before  he  went  out  to 
dine.  She  wrote  him  a  note  asking  him  to  call  on 
her  in  the  evening ;  or  if  the  note  failed  to  reach 
him  in  time,  the  first  thing  the  next  morning. 

7  O  O 

The  note  found  him  in,  and  he  called  in  the  even 
ing,  shortly  after  Mr.  Brown  had  gone  out  to  call 
on  a  friend  from  the  West  at  the  Fifth  Avenue 
Hotel,  and  Mrs.  Brown  saw  Senor  Viva  alone,  as 
she  desired. 

She  hastily  and  briefly  informed  him  of  the  un 
fortunate  affair.  It  not  only  surprised  but  dis 
tressed  him,  to  think  that  he  should  be  the  inno 
cent  cause  of  such  trouble. 

"  It  is  in  my  power,  and  in  my  power  alone,"  he 
said,  "  to  settle  the  matter  without  any  trouble. 
Leave  it  to  me ; "  and  shortly  he  withdrew. 

Outside  he  muttered  to  himself:  "  Talk  about  the 


MBS.    BROWN   TO   THE    RESCUR.  127 

excitability  and  jealousy  of  the  French ;  these 
Americans  are  worse.  They  can  not  credit  a 
woman  with  any  sentiment  or  romance  1 " 


128  A   BROWN   STONE   FRONT. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

A   LETTER   FROM    SENOR   VIVA. 

THE  next  morning  after  breakfast,  while  lounging 
in  the  parlor  looking  over  the  paper,  Mr.  Dick  was 
called  upon  by  Senor  Alpha,  a  friend  and  com 
patriot  of  Senor  Viva,  from  whom  he  brought  a 
letter,  which  entirely  changed  the  aspect  of  affairs. 
This  letter  read  as  follows  : — 

[Viva's  crest  and  initials.] 

NEW  YORK  HOTEL. 

Evening. 
WILLIAM  DICK,  ESQ. 

"MY  DEAR  FRIEND, — If  you  will  allow  me  to 


A   LETTER   FROM    SENOK   VIVA.  129 

call  you  such,  let  this  introduce  to  you  my  friend, 
Senor  Alpha." 

"  Good  morning,  Senor  Alpha,"  said  Mr.  Dick. 
"  Be  seated ; "  and  he  motioned  to  a  chair,  taking  one 
near  it  himself.  He  continued  to  read : — 

"  Between  gentlemen  there  should  be  but  one 
course — a  frank,  manly  course.  I  have  learned 
that  I  have  by  my  visits  to  your  house,  innocently 
been  the  cause  of  a  scandal.  I  am  informed  that 
you  are  aware  of  this  scandal ;  from  which  I  infer 
I  have  lost  your  confidence,  as  well  as  friendship, 
or  you  would  have  conferred  with  me.  You  and 
your  wife,  who  is  one  of  the  most  accomplished 
women  I  have  ever  met,  so  cordially  welcomed  me 
to  your  house,  and  have  been  so  uniformly  kind 
and  courteous  to  me,  that  it  may  be  I  have  been 
indiscreet  in  calling  frequently  ;  at  least  the  world 
judges  so ;  there  is  no  other  cause  for  the  scandal ; 
there  is,  in  fact,  no  cause. 

"  That  I  called  when  I  knew  you  were  absent,  I 


130  A    BROWN   STONE    FRONT. 

admit ;  but  I  received  your  permission  to  do  so. 
I  have  devoted  my  life  to  art  and  learning,  and  the 
accomplishments  of  your  wife  rendered  her  society 
very  agreeable. 

"  Having  made  this  explanation,  the  propel 
course  for  me,  in  view  of  this  scandal,  is  to  remov* 
the  cause  for  it  by  my  absence  ;  and  I  shall  make 
arrangements  to  leave  for  Central  America,  which 
I  have  long  desired  to  visit.  A  steamer  sails  on  the 
day  after  to-morrow ;  and  unless  there  is  occasion 
to  remain,  I  shall  go  in  it. 

"  My  friends  say  it  would  be  impossible  for  me 
to  trace  the  slander  to  its  originator.  If  I  could 
find  any  gentleman  (?)  to  father  it,  I  would  honor 
him  with  a  challenge,  though  such  a  contemptible 
scoundrel  would  not  deserve  such  consideration. 
He  should  be  chastised. 

"  If  you  are  not  satisfied  with  this  explanation,  I 
will  accept  a  challenge  from  you ;  but  I  tell  you 
beforehand  that  I  shall  fire  into  the  air.  I  have 
done  you  an  injury  in  being  the  innocent  cause  of 
this  scandal,  and  you  shall  have  a  chance  at  my 


A   LETTER   FROM    SENOR   VIVA.  131 

life,  if  you  wish  it ;   I  would  not  shoot  at  you, 
because  I  would  not  rob  the  lady  involved,  of  the 
one  who  alone  has  the  right  to  protect  her. 
"  Senor  Alpha  awaits  your  reply. 

""With  respect,  etc., 

"  VIVA." 

"Tell  Senor  Viva  I  am  satisfied,  and  wish  him  a 
pleasant  voyage,"  said  Mr.  Dick ;  and  he  accom 
panied  Senor  Alpha  to  the  door,  adding  there  that 
he  might  call  during  the  day. 

He  returned  to  the  parlor  and  read  the  letter 
again. 

Adele  came  in  just  as  he  finished.  Some  women 
seem  to  move  in  a  charmed  atmosphere  impenetra 
ble  to  deceit  or  guile;  and  Adele  was  one  of 
these.  There  never  was  a  purer  woman  than  she, 
and  I  hope  she  will  never  hear  of  the  scandal  in 
which  she  has  become  so  innocently  involved.  She 
was  very  charming  in  a  close-fitting  purple  silk, 
with  her  beautiful  blonde  hair  braided  across  her 
head. 


132  A   BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

After  a  brief  and  pleasant  conversation,  during 
which  he  felt  very  contrite  for  his  conduct  towards 
her,  Mr.  Dick  went  down  to  the  club  as  usuaL 


AT   THE    CLUB.  133 


CHAPTER  XXT. 

AT   THE    CLTJB. 

AT  a  window  of  the  club-house  sat  Mr.  Dick,  his 
head  and  shoulders  hid  by  the  paper  he  was  read 
ing,  and  the  rest  of  his  figure  concealed  by  the 
drapery  of  the  curtains.  He  was  not,  however,  so 
absorbed  in  the  contents  of  his  paper,  as  not  to 
hear  some  interesting  remarks  made  on  the  scandal 
by  two  young  gentleman  who  had  entered  the 
room  together  and  stood  near  him. 

One  of  them  was  the  same  who  had  informed, 
him  of  the  aifair.  He  had  evidently  been  telling 
the  other  of  this  fact,  which  he  clearly  regarded 


134  A    BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

a  good  joke;  and  he  added,  "Mr.  Dick  laughed  at 
it,  as  if  he  did  not  think  it  worth  bothering 
about ; "  whereupon  both  of  them  giggled.  They 
shortly  withdrew. 

"  If  either  of  them  had  said  anything  to  give  me 
the  slightest  pretext,  I  would  have  knocked  him 
down,  exclaimed  Mr.  Dick,  indignantly.  After 
I  have  thrashed  one  of  these  gossipers,  the  rest 
will  stop  talking  about  my  affairs.  I  am  glad  he 
is  promulgating  that  I  laughed  at  the  scandal !  " 

A  waiter  brought  him  a  letter  that  had  been 
left  at  the  door. 

He  recognized  Senor  Viva's  handwriting  in  the 
address.  He  read : 

[Viva's  crest  and  initials.] 

NEW  YORK  HOTEL. 

Morning. 

"Mr  DEAR  DICK, — I  thank  you  for  the  assur 
ances  of  friendship  implied  in  your  message.  I 
Bail  in  the  steamer  to-morrow. 

"  I  submit  the  enclosed  letter  to  you,  confident 


135 

you  will  see  the  propriety  of  handing  it  to  Mrs. 
Dick. 

"With  respect,  etc., 

«  VIVA." 
"WILLIAM  DICK  ESQ." 

Enclosed  was  the  following  letter  to  Mrs.  Dick : 

[Viva's  crest  and  initials.] 

NEW  YOKK  HOTEL. 

Morning. 
MRS.  WILLIAM  DICK: 

Esteemed  lady, — I  sail  in  the  steamer  to-morrow 
for  Central  America.  Urgent  business,  connected 
with  my  departure,  will  prevent  my  calling  to  sav 
good-bye.  I  thank  you  for  your  many  courtesies 
to  me. 

"  With  respect, 

"  VIVA." 

Mr.  Dick,  on  his  way  out  for  his  customary 


136  A   BROWN   STONE    FRONT. 

afternoon  drive,  called  at  his  mother-in-law's,  and 
showed  her  the  letters. 

She  read  them  through  carefully  with  a  great 
deal  of  satisfaction. 

"Let  me  have  all  three  letters — I  will  deliver 
Adele's  for  you;  the  other  two  I  will  give  you 
this  evening  at  your  house,"  said  Mrs.  Brown. 

Mr.  Dick  consented. 

"  I  will  dine  with  you  and  Adele,"  said  Mrs. 
Brown,  as  he  left,  her  face  beaming  with  a  secret 
satisfaction. 


OVERWHELMED.  137 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

OVERWHELMED. 

MRS.  BKOWN  immediately  proceeded  to  her 
daughter's. 

She  told  Adele  that  she  had  met  Mr.  Dick,  and 
he  had  entrusted  to  her  Senor  Viva's  letter. 

That  Senor  Yiva  should  write  her  a  letter, 
evidently  surprised  Adele  very  much;  that  it  por 
tended  something'  she  surmised  from  her  mother's 
look. 

She  hastily  glanced  over  the  letter  and  re 
marked  : 

"I  am  very  sorry  he  is  going  away.  I  shall 
miss  him.  He  is  very  accomplished,  and  I  have 


138  A    BUOWN    STONE    FKONT. 

passed  many  pleasant  hours  in  his  society — hours 
which,  spent  alone,  would  have  been  very  heavy ! " 

"  Nonsense  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Brown,  somewhat 
petulantly. 

Adele  sighed. 

"  It  is  the  lot  of  every  one  to  have  troubles,"  con 
tinued  Mrs.  Brown,  "  but  yours  are  light  com 
pared  to  what  they  might  be ; "  and  she  re 
ported  the  current  scandal  with  her  characteristic 
facility  of  description,  finishing  by  reading  the 
other  two  letters. 

Adele  sat  by  her,  arid  heard  her  through  without 
uttering  a  word  ;  indeed  such  an  attentive  listener 
did  she  become,  that  her  pose,  expression  and  gaze, 
became  fixed  as  in  death,  and  heavy  respiration  was 
the  only  evidence  of  life. 

When  her  mother  finished  the  letters,  she  ex 
claimed  in  tones  of  anguish  and  despair: 

"  Oh  !  Heavens,  this  is  terrible  !  "  She  endeav 
ored  to  say  more,  but  before  her  mothor  could 
catch  her,  she  swooned  away,  and  fell  over  upon 
the  floor. 


OVERWHELMED.  139 

Lucy  and  the  servants  were  summoned,  and 
restoratives  applied  by  Mrs.  Brown  with  partial 
success.  She  was  soon  restored  to  consciousness, 
but  she  seemed  dazed,  and  stared  wildly  at  those 
about  her  as  if  she  did  not  recognize  any  of  them. 
Her  lips  moved  as  in  speech,  but  what  she  said 
was  inaudible. 

Mrs.  Brown  had  her  tenderly  removed  up-stairs 
to  her  chamber,  and  put  her  to  bed  with  her  own 
hands. 

In  the  meantime,  the  family  physician,  a  medical 
celebrity,  had  been  summoned. 

He  was  alarmed  ;  the  symptoms  tended  to  brain 
fever,  perhaps  insanity. 

He  administered  an  opiate,  and  soon  the  rolling 
eyes  were  closed  in  sleep. 

But  it  was  a  sleep  that  was  troubled  and 
labored  ;  and  he  sat  by  the  bed-side  and  watched 
the  symptoms  for  an  hour  or  so. 

When  he  left  he  ordered  perfect  quiet ;  and 
when  Mr.  Dick  came  shortly  afterward,  he  found 
the  door-bell  muffled. 


140  A   BKOWN    STONE    FKONT. 

He  was  alarmed,  and  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life  lost  his  presence  of  mind  ;  he  stood  upon  the 
door-step  as  if  afraid  to  enter. 

The  door  was  opened  by  Mrs.  Brown,  who  had 
been  watching  for  him,  and  who  hastily  told  him 
all. 

He  had  a  dread  of  death. 

He  had  never  had  any  experience  in  sickness — 
his  father,  it  will  be  remembered,  died  suddenly — 
and  he  was  completely   overwhelmed,  or   rath0" 
would   have   been,  but   for  the   chiding   of  Mi 
Brown. 

The  doctor  returned  in  the  evening,  and  again 
watched  his  patient  for  several  hours,  until  relieved 
by  a  professional  nurse,  whom  he  had  engaged. 
He  declared  it  was  too  dangerous  a  case  to  be  en 
trusted  to  any  except  an  experienced  attendant. 
In  the  day-time,  during  which  he  would  call  in 
as  frequently  as  he  thought  proper,  Mrs.  Brown 
and  Lucy  could  take  turns  at  watching.  Mrs. 
Brown,  however,  was  not  contented  with  this,  but 


OVERWHELMED.  141 

ran  in  frequently  during  the  night  to  see  that  the 
nurse  did  not  neglect  her  duty. 

For  several  days  Adele  hovered  between  life  and 
death.  It  seemed  to  be  impossible  to  quiet  her. 
She  raved  from  time  to  time  until  overcome  by 
exhaustion.  She  told  of  her  love  for  Colonel 
Thomas,  and  why  she  broke  herself  of  it.  She  also 
told  how  she  encouraged  a  love  for  Mr.  Dick, 
because  she  saw  he  was  the  choice  of  her  parents ; 
and  why,  too,  she  had  received  the  visits  of  Senor 
Viva.  She  never  wearied  repeating  the  story. 

Her  husband  sat  beside  her  and  listened  with 
bowed  head ;  and  though  there  were  conflicting 
expressions  on  his  face  during  the  recital,  he  was 
pleased  by  the  revelation.  All  was  new  to  him, 
though  not  to  Mrs.  Brown. 

One  morning,  after  a  better  night's  rest  than 
usual,  Adele,  after  vacantly  gazing  about  her,  in 
quired  for  her  husband.  Lucy  was  watching  at 
her  bed-side  while  Mrs.  Brown  was  breakfasting ; 
Mr.  Dick  was  standing  by  the  window. 

4'J Here,  Adele,"  he  said;  and  he  went  and   sat 


142  A   BROWN    STONE    FRONT. 

by  her  bed-side.  Taking  her  hand  iu  his,  he 
clasped  it  warmly. 

She  motioned  him  to  lean  down  and  kissed  hire 
on  the  forehead. 

A  benign,  serene  smile  radiated  her  features. 

Then  she  appeared  to  be  in  deep  thought  for  ? 
moment  or  two.  Looking  her  husband  full  in  the 

O 

face,  as  if  to  show  there  was  nothing  to  be  ashamed 
of,  she  asked : 

"  Where  is  Senor  Viva  ?  " 

"  Gone,"  answered  her  husband. 

"Ah,  yes !  good  !  "  she  said. 

Again  her  thoughts  wandered,  and  she  closed 
her  eyes  as  if  trying  to  collect  them. 

She  murmured,  "  Oh !  this  is  a  terrible  dream  I 
have  had ! "  but  her  husbaud  did  not  hear  her ; 
for  supposing  she  wanted  to  sleep  he  had  quietly 
withdrawn. 

After  awhile  she  did  fall  asleep ;  and  this  time 
her  slumber  was  easy,  quiet,  and  natural. 

The  doctor  called  while  she  was  asleep. 


OVERWHELMED.  143 

"  She  has  had  a  narrow  escape !  "  he  said,  "  but 
she  is  all  right  now  !  " 

Adele's  condition  improved  daily ;  she  was  soon 
able  to  sit  up  and  move  about  her  room. 

One  morning  she  asked  her  mother  to  show  her 
those  letters ;  and,  on  her  insisting  upon  seeing 
them,  Mrs.Brown  complied  with  the  request. 

She  read  the  letters  carefully. 

"  He  himself  forced  Senor  Viva's  attentions  on 
me,"  she  said.  "Did  he  wrong  me  by  a  sus 
picion  ?  " 

"  No,"  answered  the  mother. 

Adele's  features  were  suifused  by  a  serene  smile 
which  rendered  her  angelic  in  her  loveliness. 

In  a  week  more  she  was  able  to  ride  out  in  the 
park  and  enjoy  the  balmy  spring  air. 

Mr.  Dick  possessed  many  noble  qualities  of  head 
and  heart  which  this  latter  experience  had  brought 
to  light. 

The  doctor  advised  a  southern  trip,  believinj 
that  Adele  needed  a  change  of  climate  and  scene 
to  produce  a  complete  restoration. 


144  A    BKOWX    STONE    FKONT. 

Mrs.  Brown  suggested  and  insisted  on  a  Euro 
pean  tour,  aud  arrangements  were  made  for  their 
departure  in  a  fortnight. 

They  sailed  in  that  gallant  ship  the  Cuba. 

Mrs.  Brown's  last  words  on  the  wharf  were  a  re 
quest  for  both  of  them  to  write  to  her,  as  soon  as 
they  reached  London,  and  both  promised  to  do  so ; 
but  Mrs.  Brown  doubted  if  Mr.  Dick  would  keep 
his  word,  as  he  seldom  or  never  wrote  letters  ex 
cept  on  business. 


HAPPY    AT   LAST.  145 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

HAPPY   AT   LAST. 

Lsr  the  course  of  time  Mrs.  Brown  received  letters 
by  the  same  mail  from  both  of  them. 

Mr.  Dick's  letter  was  short  and  sweet,  like  the 
schoolboy's. 

Here  it  is  entire,  minus  the  date,  address  and 
signature : 

"Adele  says  she  will  furnish  you  with  the  par 
ticulars  of  our  voyage,  which  was  very  pleasant. 
She  is  much  better,  and  I  am  as  careful  of  her  as  if 
she  were  made  of  china,  for  I  am  afraid  of  a  return 
of  her  indisposition.  I  only  hope  you  two  are 
as  well  as  this  leaves  us." 


146  A    BROWN    STOXE    FKOXT. 

"  He'll  give  you  no  more  trouble,"  jocularly  ob 
served  Mr.  Brown,  who  sat  at  the  other  side  of  the 
centre  table,  and  who  had  latterly  added  a  glass 
or  two  of  brandy  and  water  to  his  post-prandial 
indulgence  of  a  cigar.  The  following  is  an  extract 
from  Adele's  letter : 

.  ..."  I  have  discovered  in  William  many  no 
ble  qualities,  which  have  endeared  him  to  me.  He 
could  not  be  more  attentive  and  kind  than  he  is. 
I  am  happy  once  more !  " 

"  She  is  happy  at  last ! "  exclaimed  Mr.  Brown. 

"  And  she  has  got  her  brown  stone  front ! " 
jocosely  exclaimed  Mr.  Brown,  looking  up  from  his 
Evening  Post,  and  draining  his  glass,  which  had,  I 
lear,  proved  too  much  for  him. 

In  another  mood  Mrs.  Brown  would  have  admin 
istered  a  sarcastic  rebuke;  but  now  her  look  of 
reproval  was  but  momentary. 

"  She  is  happy  at  last !  "  she  reiterated ;  and  giv 
ing  way  to  her  feelings  she  shed  tears  freely ;  but 
they  were  tears  of  joy,  and  her  face  soon  cleared  and 


HAPPY    AT   LAST.  147 

brightened  and  was  radiant  with  smiles.  After 
many  days  of  conflicting  emotions  she  had  found 
peace  at  last,  and  there  was  hope  in  the  future. 


THE    END. 


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